Amazon to hire 75,000 workers, offers $100 extra for vaccination proof

Reuters

Published May 13, 2021 10:24AM ET

Updated May 13, 2021 11:52AM ET

(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) will give $100 more to new hires with proof of COVID-19 vaccination, the world's largest e-commerce retailer said on Thursday, as part of its plan to employ 75,000 workers for fulfillment and logistics operations.

As vaccines become crucial to reopening of the economy, several U.S. retailers, including Dollar General (NYSE:DG), Kroger (NYSE:KR) and Target (NYSE:TGT), are offering bonuses or other perks to staff getting their shots.

Demand for hourly staff at restaurants, factories, retail stores and fulfillment centers is rising as e-commerce demand remains robust, while more consumers are expected to step out of their homes after a year of lockdown living.

The vaccine-related incentives are also aimed at attracting workers flush with relief checks and wary of the pandemic as well as the lack of childcare facilities back to work.

Amazon will pay the new hires an average starting pay of more than $17 per hour, reflecting recent hikes of between 50 cents and $3 an hour for about half a million fulfillment-center workers in the United States.