Amazon plans to create more than 4,000 permanent roles in the UK this year.
The online retail giant, which added 2,500 in 2021 and had already announced the creation of 1,500 apprenticeships in 2022, will take its workforce here to 75,000. That makes it one of the UK’s top 10 private sector employers.
The roles include technology teams in Edinburgh and Cambridge; corporate jobs in London and Manchester; and warehouse work.
It will open new ‘fulfilment centres’ in Wakefield and Knowsley, adding to the four warehouses it opened last year.
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“We’re continuing to invest in talent right across the UK, from apprentices in Swansea to data scientists in Edinburgh,” said John Boumphrey, Amazon UK country manager.
“Applicants recognise we are an employer that offers great development potential, and we are proud to have so many employees growing and taking the opportunity to learn new skills that will create paths to new jobs at Amazon and beyond.”
There are moves among Amazon’s US workers to unionise – fought bitterly by the company – amid accusations of poor treatment of warehouse staff.
The company also said its latest Prime Day event, on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, saw shopping jump 8.5% from last year to nearly £10.1bn. Prime loyalty programme members bought more than 300 million items, which equates to 100,000 a minute.