The massive shutdowns of schools, restaurants and bars, and entertainment venues along with government directives for citizens to stay home and work remotely has led to many concerns about people possibly losing their jobs. The ongoing trend towards social distancing has benefitted one company that is most clearly identified with online shopping: Amazon.
According to an Associated Press report, the online shopping giant announced Monday it would need to hire an additional 100,000 people across the U.S. to keep up with an upsurge in online ordering.
The online retailer said it will also temporarily raise pay by $2 an hour through the end of April for hourly employees. The raises would cover workers at its warehouses, delivery centers and Whole Foods grocery stores, all of whom make at least $15 an hour. Employees in the United Kingdom and other European countries will get a similar raise, according to the Associated Press report.
Amazon has reportedly felt the pressure of a surge in orders and warned shoppers that it could take longer than the usual two days to get packages. The retailer also reportedly noted it was sold out of many household cleaning supplies and is working to get more in stock.
Last week, Amazon reportedly modified its time-off policy for hourly workers, telling them they could take as much time off as they wanted in March, although they would only be paid if they had earned time off. Additionally, Amazon said it would pay hourly workers for up to two weeks if they contracted the virus or had to be quarantined.