On Thursday, Amazon announced that it would be providing permanent employment to 125,000 of the temporary staff hired to tackle the surge in the use of its online shopping service amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In March, Amazon expanded its workforce with 175,000 new positions as restrictions on movements shut down real-world shops and had individuals staying home to avoid the virus.
Amazon said in a blog post:
“Like other companies, we hired these individuals for seasonal roles to meet a surge in demand and, for many, there was the hope of returning back to their previous companies once states began to reopen,”
“As the long-term picture becomes more clear, we’re providing the opportunity for 125,000 of those who came on with us seasonally to stay with Amazon and transition into a regular, full-time role beginning in June.”
Amazon has seen a growing position in supplying consumer products amid coronavirus induced lockdowns forcing people to buy groceries and everyday products online.
The company has also faced protests from warehouse workers and activists who claim that Amazon has not done enough to keep them safe from the coronavirus pandemic.
Amazon’s move came the same day that the US government announced that another 2.1 million individuals had applied for unemployment benefits, bringing the total to more than 40 million since March.
The Panthera Post 