Amazon will create jobs in El Paso next year, and will soon hire 100,000 people across US, Canada

Photo: AFP

New York, United States | AFP

Amazon officially announced last July, its plans to open its first distribution operation in El Paso. BorderPlex Alliance CEO Jon Barela stated that the new "fulfillment center," as Amazon calls it, was expected to open sometime next year.

Amazon announced this Monday it would create 100,000 new jobs in the United States and Canada as it opens 100 new facilities in the two countries.

"Amazon will be hiring for 100,000 new, regular full- and part-time jobs in our operations network as we expand our footprint to better serve customers in communities where they live," the company said in a statement.

The new buildings will include fulfillment centers and delivery stations, while the new positions pay at least $15 per hour and in some cities include a signing bonus of as much as $1,000, the company said.

The expansion comes as upheaval from the coronavirus accelerates growth at Amazon, which recently reported a 40 percent rise in quarterly revenues to nearly $89 billion.

The company last week announced it would add 10,000 jobs in Bellevue, Washington, a suburb near its Seattle headquarters.

Amazon has leased two million square feet (185,000 square meters) in additional office space in the city and in February announced it would be adding 15,000 jobs there.

All told, Amazon has added more than 175,000 new jobs since March, the company said in July, with about 125,000 of these staffers brought into full-time roles.

Other tech giants such as Apple and Facebook have also reported strong results during the pandemic, along with big-box retailers such as Walmart, which have seen surging demand for e-commerce. 

But numerous other companies are suffering, including retailers such as J.C. Penney and Neiman Marcus, which have closed stores and filed to reorganize under the US bankruptcy code.