Amazon plans to add 125,000 workers with an average $18 per hour salary

Amazon is looking to hire 125,000 new employees nationwide with a new salary averaging $18 per hour, the company announced on Tuesday, Sept. 14.

The world's largest retailer is also offering a sign-on bonus at certain locations of $3,000 with an hourly wage that could go up to $22.50.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, retailers have scrambled to hire hourly workers in a tight-labor market. Companies like Walmart and Target have joined in and begun offering educational benefits, higher pay, sign-on bonuses, and more. 

Now, with the holiday season around the corner, the companies are offering even more incentives to convince workers. 

The increase in average salary by Amazon is only one of the many things the retailer has done this year to promote their job market. 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Amazon says it has hired 450,000 workers nationwide and opened over 250 new fulfillment centers, airport hubs and facilities in the U.S. The company was also among the first few retailers to set a $15 an hour minimum wage in 2018.

Only last week, the company said it would cover the cost of college tuition, including books and fees, for its 750,000 hourly employees nationwide.

Now, Amazon plans to open 100 additional facilities in the U.S. by the end of the month. 

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