Online giant in big supply chain hiring push

Amazon is making good on its promise to hire 130,000 workers by 2018.



The online giant announced Wednesday that it plans to fill more than 50,000 roles across its fulfillment network in the United States. Amazon is hiring “tens of thousands” full-time associates who will pick, pack and ship customer orders from its fulfillment centers. It will also fill supporting and managerial roles within its facilities, including human resources managers, IT specialists, and operations leaders, among other positions, the retailer said.



Amazon also plans on filling more than 10,000 part-time jobs at its sortation centers. These associates will sort and consolidate customer packages to enable speedy shipping and Sunday deliveries.



These new positions coincide with Amazon’s plan to add approximately 130,000 new jobs over the next 18 months. Specifically, the retailer expects to fill 100,000 full-time roles and more 30,000 part-time positions.



When the task is complete, Amazon's U.S. workforce could swell to approximately 300,000. This eclipses a workforce of 30,000 employees in 2011, according to The Wall Street Journal.



To bolster its talent search, Amazon is hosting a multi-state job fair on Aug. 2. Called Amazon Job Day, the event invites candidates to visit one of 10 fulfillment centers where they can apply for jobs, take tours of the facility, learn about the technology used throughout the fulfillment network, and attend information sessions. Job fairs will be held in fulfillment centers in Maryland, Tennessee, Ohio, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Washington, New Jersey, Illinois and Indiana.



Candidates can also apply for positions off-site at the retailer’s Buffalo, New York and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma facilities, according to Amazon.