Amazon plans a record 300,000 holiday hires as the rest of retail pulls back
The Seattle company's target is up 20% from last year, and seasonal workers will qualify for day-one health care starting in January.
Amazon said on Tuesday it plans to hire more than 300,000 people for seasonal, part-time and full-time roles across its U.S. operations this holiday season, an increase of 20% from last year and its largest holiday hiring target on record, GeekWire reported. A spokesperson said the increase reflects new sites opening as Amazon expands its operations network.
The rest of retail is moving the other way. Retailers added the fewest seasonal workers since 2008 last holiday season, and outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas expects even fewer this year. UPS plans to hire more than 100,000 seasonal workers, about 9% fewer than last year, according to Reuters.
Amazon also said that, starting Jan. 1, seasonal employees who work at least 30 hours a week will be eligible for health care from their first day, rather than waiting 90 days. Seasonal workers earn an average of $20 an hour, and average pay across Amazon’s operations workforce is nearly $24 following a raise announced last month.
The hiring push comes as Amazon shrinks its corporate workforce. It cut 16,000 corporate jobs in January, bringing total reductions to about 30,000 since October 2025, and had about 1.6 million employees as of June 30. Worldwide paid units grew 17% year over year in the second quarter, and the company reports third-quarter results on Oct. 29.
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