Amazon on hiring spree, looks to fill jobs in California, 12 other states

FILE - In this Monday, Dec., 1, 2008, file photo, an Amazon.com employee grabs boxes off the conveyor belt to load in a truck at their Fernley, Nev., warehouse. Amazon.com Inc. says it is adding 7,000 jobs in 13 states, beefing up staff at the warehouses where it fills orders, and in its customer service division. The company says it will add 5,000 full-time jobs at its U.S. distribution centers, which currently employ about 20,000 workers who pack and ship customer orders. (AP Photo/Scott Sady, File) ( Scott Sady )

Amazon.com said Monday it will hire another 5,000 workers at distribution centers across the country, including its three recently opened California locations.

The hiring spree represents a 25 percent increase in Amazon's warehouse employment. It reflects the e-commerce giant's recent drive to shrink delivery times to customers in major population centers.

Amazon has opened three warehouses in California in the past year, in Patterson, Tracy and San Bernardino, although it isn't clear how many workers they employee. The company has promised to create at least 10,000 jobs in California after settling a nasty fight with state officials over sales tax collection.

For years

File-In this Monday, Nov. 16, 2009 file photo, a view inside the 800,000 sq. ft. Amazon.com distribution and fulfillment center warehouse in Goodyear, Ariz. Amazon.com Inc. says it is adding 7,000 jobs in 13 states, beefing up staff at the warehouses where it fills orders, and in its customer service division. The company says it will add 5,000 full-time jobs at its U.S. distribution centers, which currently employ about 20,000 workers who pack and ship customer orders. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File) ( Ross Franklin )

Amazon resisted collecting sales tax in California and most other states, saying it wasn't required to under federal law. When Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill in 2011 requiring Internet retailers to begin collecting the tax from Calfiornia consumers, Amazon fired thousands of in-state "affiliates" -- small businesses and nonprofits that get commissions for referring customers to Amazon. The company also launched a ballot referendum to overturn the new law.

Then the company made a compromise, earning a one-year grace period on collecting the tax. That ended last September, and Amazon has moved ahead on building warehouses in the state.

Amazon has made similar compromises in other states, and opened eight warehouses across the country in the past year. The company's goal is to speed deliveries to frequent customers; it has same-day delivery in big cities like New York and Chicago.

The world's largest online retailer has been spending heavily on order fulfillment, a strategy meant to help the business grow, but one that has also weighed on profit margins. The company said last week that it lost money in the second quarter, even as revenue increased.

Distribution center jobs are also available in Phoenix; Middletown, Del.; Patterson, Indianapolis and Jeffersonville, Ind.; Hebron, Ky.; Breinigsville, Pa.; Charleston and Spartanburg, S.C.; Chattanooga and Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Coppell, Haslet and San Antonio, Texas and Chester, Va.

President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit the Chattanooga facility on Tuesday, according to the White House.

The company is also adding 2,000 jobs in customer service, including full-time, part-time and seasonal. Jobs are available in Winchester, Ky.; Grand Forks, N.D.; Kennewick, Wash. and Huntington, W.Va. Work from home positions are available in Oregon, Washington and Arizona.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Source: http://www.siliconvalley.com/ci_23752378/amazon-hiring-spree-looks-fill-7-000-jobs?source=rss_viewed

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