Amazon reported it has now hired more than 500 employees in Delaware, with another 800 hirings planned in the coming months.
This comes in addition to its original plan to create more than 100,000 new full- and part-time jobs across the U.S. in response to COVID-19.
Amazon has seen a surge in business, thanks to stay at home orders in the region and closings at many brick and mortar “nonessential” retailers.
The 500 new employees in Delaware join more than 2,000 full-time employees already working in Amazon facilities.
One of Amazon’s first distribution centers continues to operate in New Castle. The site dates back to the time when the company started out as an online bookseller. The company later added a massive fulfillment center in Middletown.
Site work is underway on a third Amazon site in the state at the former GM Boxwood plant near Newport.
A short drive from Delaware is another fulfillment center near Perryville, MD.
As demand continues to increase, Amazon announced it is adding 75,000 additional new roles across the country, including more than 800 in Delaware. This comes long before the usual holiday hiring rush.
Interested candidates can apply at www.amazon.com/jobsnow.
Those interested can sign up for text alerts for regular updates. US residents can text AMAZON to 77088 to receive automated messages about job openings near them.
Onboarding includes several COVID-19 accommodations, including virtual new hire orientation sessions and providing training and information through online and app based sessions.
Minimum pay is $17 per hour through the end of April, which is an increase of $2 per hour since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and come with health benefits on day one, including double base pay for overtime and paid time off benefits for regular part-time and seasonal employees. Additional details are available here.
A release stated that the company has worked closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and local health authorities.
“We have taken extreme measures to keep people safe, tripling down on cleaning and sanitation, procuring safety supplies such as masks for all employees and drivers, implementing temperature checks at our facilities, ensuring all employees are adhering to safe distances in our buildings, and adding distance between drivers and customers when making deliveries,” a release stated.
