Amazon has announced a 10,000 person expansion of its permanent workforce in the UK, taking it to more than 55,000 people by the end of year. The company has also announced that it will invest £10 million over three years to train up to 5,000 employees in new skills and support the Government’s investment programme. Training will be offered through Amazon’s Career Choice programme, where the company pays course fees for its employees who have expressed an interest in pursuing a career outside of the company.
The 10,000 new permanent jobs will include roles at its corporate offices, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and operations network. In operations, Amazon will open a new fulfilment centre in Hinckley, East Midlands, this summer creating 700 new permanent jobs. The company will also open a parcel receive centre in Doncaster and new fulfilment centres in Dartford, Gateshead, and Swindon that will each create more than 1,300 permanent jobs later this year.
Business Secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, said: “Over the past year, Amazon’s workforce have pulled out all the stops to ensure consumers have had safe access to goods during this challenging time. Their latest investment will open up a wide range of opportunities for even more workers, helping to develop the skills needed to power tomorrow’s economy.”
This announcement adds to the 1,000 full-time apprenticeships Amazon will create in the UK in 2021, announced in February.
Amazon has also launched the first live virtual tours of its UK fulfilment centres for people curious about what happens behind the scenes when they click ‘buy’ on Amazon.co.uk. Visitors can register for a free virtual tour at https://www.aboutamazon.co.uk/amazon-fulfilment/tour-an-amazon-fulfilment-centre
