Amazon begins holiday hiring push

Halloween is still weeks away, but leading online retailer Amazon has already begun to gear up for the holiday shopping season.

According to a news release, the e-commerce giant plans to hire 150,000 workers across the country in a range of full-time, part-time and seasonal roles, including 1,800 in the Tampa Bay region. In some locations, the company will offer signing bonuses of up to $1,000.

Open positions range from packing and picking to sorting and shipping roles, the release states, and the average wage is more than $19 per hour.

“We’re proud to offer a wide variety of roles for people of all backgrounds, with more than 150,000 roles available across the country,” states John Felton, Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations, in the release. “Whether someone is looking for some extra money for a few months or a long-term career, the holidays are a great time for people to join Amazon, and many of our seasonal employees return year-after-year or transition into full-time roles.”

As it prepares for the busiest time of the year for retailers, Amazon expects to hire more than 8,000 workers in Florida alone.

“We value our seasonal employees at Amazon by offering well-paying jobs with a variety of schedules,” states Helen Candamil, a member of Amazon’s workforce staffing team in Florida, in the release. “As demand ramps up, these employees play an important role in the company’s success by supporting our full-time employees and making sure we deliver on our promises to customers.”