Amazon hiring 300 additional employees in Metro Vancouver

Apr 20 2020, 9:28 pm

Amazon says it needs many more hands to help meet the demand surge from the rise in shipping orders due to COVID-19.

The company is hiring 300 additional employees at its various locations in Metro Vancouver to fill a range of new roles, including picking, packing, and shipping customer orders.

Within just this region, there have been tens of thousands of layoffs, and many more have seen their hours reduced or salaries cut.

Amazon says many of their newest hires have been impacted by layoffs related to COVID-19, including restaurant cooks, bartenders and servers, flight attendants, business owners, personal trainers, valet drivers, rideshare drivers, retirees, and part-time workers.

“Amazon was recently recognized as one of BC’s top employers based on their generous support for new mothers, including offering 100 percent maternity leave pay for up to 14 weeks in addition to Employment Insurance; their encouragement of ongoing employee development with tuition subsidies of up to $3,000 annually for a number of programs of study; and their recognition of exceptional performance through various awards categories,” said the company.

While the company received earlier criticism of its health safety measures, it has now made over 150 process updates to better ensure the safety of its fulfilment centre staff, delivery staff and drivers, and customers. This entails enhanced cleaning and physical distancing.

Amazon has also doubled its regular hourly base pay for every overtime hour worked and are offering extra time off with full pay for those diagnosed with COVID-19.

Across its global operations, Amazon is looking to hire about 75,000 additional people during the pandemic.

For more information on the positions, click here.

Kenneth ChanKenneth Chan

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