As shutdowns began in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, people began relying on online shopping to avoid going to retail outlets. And that meant a jump in business for online retailers like Amazon. In March, Amazon announced it would hire 2,300 new — and likely temporary — employees to meet the surge in demand. Many of those employees had been furloughed by other companies and had hope of returning back to their previous companies once states began to re-open. Amazon hired 175,000 such employees across the country.
Today, as the long-term picture becomes clearer, Amazon has announced that it will be providing the opportunity for 2,000 of those employees in Utah (125,000 nationwide) who joined in a seasonal role to stay with the company and transition into a permanent, full-time role beginning in June. These new roles are specifically for customer fulfillment and last-mile delivery. Amazon said it expects to offer more full-time roles in the coming weeks.
The new employees will continue to fill a range of roles, including picking, packing and shipping customer orders and delivering packages from delivery stations, and will join the more than 3,000 full-time employees already working in Amazon facilities across Utah. Permanent roles at Amazon come with a minimum wage of $15 per hour (and up), comprehensive benefits package starting on Day One, including full medical, vision and dental insurance, as well as a 401(k) with 50 percent match.
