Amazon to create 7,000 new UK jobs by end of year
Amazon is to create 7,000 permanent roles across the UK by the end of the year to take its total permanent UK workforce to more than 40,000.
The online retail giant has already added 3,000 new roles in its network of UK fulfilment centres, sort centres and delivery stations this year and will create a further 7,000 positions across more than 50 sites. These will include its corporate offices and two new fulfilment centres launching in the autumn.
The retailer will be looking to recruit engineers, graduates, HR specialists and IT professionals, as well as health and safety and finance workers. There will also be roles for staff who pick, pack and ship customer orders.
In addition, Amazon will be creating more than 20,000 seasonal positions across the UK ahead of the Christmas trading period at sites across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and at three pop-up fulfilment centres.
The retailer recently started operations at a new fulfilment centre in Darlington and will open new sites in Durham and Sutton-in-Ashfield this autumn.
Stefano Perego, Amazon’s vice president of European customer fulfilment, said: “We’re proud to be creating 10,000 new permanent roles across our UK network of fulfilment centres, sort centres and delivery stations offering competitive wages and comprehensive benefits starting on day one. Our people have played a critical role in serving customers in these unprecedented times and the new roles will help us continue to meet customer demand and support small and medium sized businesses selling on Amazon.
“The new state-of-the-art robotics fulfilment centres in the North East and the Midlands, as well as the thousands of additional roles at sites across the country, underline our commitment to the people and communities in which we operate. We are employing thousands of talented individuals in a diverse range of good jobs from operations managers and tech professionals through to people to handle customer orders.”
Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: “While this has been a challenging time for many businesses, it is hugely encouraging to see Amazon creating 10,000 jobs in the UK this year. This is not only great news for those looking for a new job, but also a clear vote of confidence in the UK economy as we build back better from the pandemic. The government remains deeply committed to supporting retailers of all sizes and we continue to work closely with the industry as we embark on the road to economic recovery.”
