 "Amazon to add 100,000 US jobs over 18 months")
Amazon on Thursday announced plans to add 100,000 US jobs over the next 18 months, to bring its American workforce to over 280,000.
The US tech giant unveiled the latest - and largest - job-creation plan amid a push by President-elect Donald Trump to boost employment and curb outsourcing as he prepares to take office.
"These new job opportunities are for people all across the country and with all types of experience, education and skill levels — from engineers and software developers to those seeking entry-level positions and on-the-job training," a statement from the tech giant said.
"Innovation is one of our guiding principles at Amazon, and it's created hundreds of thousands of American jobs," said Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos.
Amazon said that "many" of the new jobs would be in new "fulfilment centres" or warehouses where goods are stored for consumer delivery -- and where the company has often faced criticism over working conditions.
In Britain, Amazon has been assailed for its labour policies, which in one case required workers to sleep in tents outside the warehouse.
"These jobs are not just in our Seattle headquarters or in Silicon Valley -- they're in our customer service network, fulfilment centres and other facilities in local communities throughout the country," Bezos said.
Bezos said new workers will be needed "as we open new fulfilment centres, and continue to invest in areas like cloud technology, machine learning, and advanced logistics."
The world's largest retailer, Amazon has been investing in technology to allow for speedier deliveries, including automating some functions in its warehouses.
It also has been laying out plans for delivery by drone, which in some cases could be fully automated.
The US tech giant unveiled the latest - and largest - job-creation plan amid a push by President-elect Donald Trump to boost employment and curb outsourcing as he prepares to take office.
"These new job opportunities are for people all across the country and with all types of experience, education and skill levels — from engineers and software developers to those seeking entry-level positions and on-the-job training," a statement from the tech giant said.
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The move comes with Amazon expanding from its origins as an online retailer to a diversified tech company offering streaming video and music, cloud computing, and home automation through its artificial intelligence program Alexa.
"Innovation is one of our guiding principles at Amazon, and it's created hundreds of thousands of American jobs," said Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos.
Amazon said that "many" of the new jobs would be in new "fulfilment centres" or warehouses where goods are stored for consumer delivery -- and where the company has often faced criticism over working conditions.
In Britain, Amazon has been assailed for its labour policies, which in one case required workers to sleep in tents outside the warehouse.
"These jobs are not just in our Seattle headquarters or in Silicon Valley -- they're in our customer service network, fulfilment centres and other facilities in local communities throughout the country," Bezos said.
Bezos said new workers will be needed "as we open new fulfilment centres, and continue to invest in areas like cloud technology, machine learning, and advanced logistics."
The world's largest retailer, Amazon has been investing in technology to allow for speedier deliveries, including automating some functions in its warehouses.
It also has been laying out plans for delivery by drone, which in some cases could be fully automated.