Amazon to hire 10,000 new UK workers amid new openings

After previously coming under fire for its anti-trade union and working practices, the e-commerce giant has announced that it will open up new warehouses and corporate roles.

Amazon to hire 10,000 new UK workers amid new openings

Amazon has announced that it will hire 10,000 new employees as it opens further warehouses in the north and south of England. The company also plans to create numerous corporate roles in Cambridge, Edinburgh, London and Manchester.

The addition of 10,000 new roles will take Amazon’s total workforce in the UK to more than 55,000 by the end of 2021. According to the company, wages for operations roles will be £9.70 per hour (£10.80 in London), in addition to other benefits.

New Amazon fulfilment centres are due to be opened in Dartford, Gateshead, Hinckley and Swindon as well as a parcel receive warehouse in Doncaster. Recruitment will also take place for office roles in areas such as fashion, digital marketing, AI and machine learning, among other departments.

The organisation plans to invest £10 million over three years into a scheme to train 5,000 employees in a variety of subjects such as accountancy, HGV driving and software development in order to provide them with transferable skills. Amazon will pay up to 95% of tuition and additional fees for adult education courses.

UK Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has commended the news as a ‘prime investment in our retail sector’ that will ‘open up a wide range of opportunities for even more workers’. 

John Boumphrey, Amazon’s UK Country Manager added: ‘We're proud of the front-line roles we offer across Amazon, and we also know that they will be a stepping stone for some in their career journey’.

The e-commerce and tech giant has recently faced criticism over harsh working practices and trade union Unite wrote to CEO Jeff Bezos, calling on the company founder to allow workers to freely join trade unions.

Header Image Credit: Adrian Sulyok

Author

Ali Muzaffar

Ali Muzaffar Kickstart Team

Ali is a Trainee Journalist with Voice. He graduated from the University of Leeds in English Literature and maintains a strong interest in reading new books whenever possible. A self-professed film nut, Ali enjoys movies from a wide range of genres, although he can be counted on to gravitate towards thrillers or dramas!

Recent posts by this author

View more posts by Ali Muzaffar

0 Comments

Post A Comment

You must be signed in to post a comment. Click here to sign in now

You might also like

Balance : Thought-provoking dance... with a giant tongue, Zorb ball and no added sugar?

Balance : Thought-provoking dance... with a giant tongue, Zorb ball and no added sugar?

by Ellie Blackwell

Read now