Amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Amazon in recent weeks welcomed new associates inside its 855,000 square-foot Bessemer fulfillment center for the first time to celebrate its “Day One” of operation.
According to a release from the company on Thursday, the facility currently employs more than 1,500 full-time associates who will pick, pack and ship essential items to customers.
“Our team at Amazon is thankful for the support we have received from state and community leaders, and we are excited to be a part of the Bessemer community,” Amazon director of operations Travis Maynard stated.
“We’re proud to create great jobs in Bessemer with industry leading pay and benefits that start on day one, in a safe, innovative workplace,” he added.
While nearly 300,000 Alabamians filed initial unemployment claims from March 15 — April 11, mainly due to the pandemic, Amazon is currently still hiring even more employees to work at the Bessemer center.
Interested candidates can sign up for text alerts when opportunities open by texting BHMNOW to 77088 or visit the website here to learn more and apply online.
On top of Amazon’s $15 minimum wage, the company offers industry-leading benefits to full-time employees, which include comprehensive healthcare from day one, 401(k) with 50% match, up to 20 weeks paid parental leave and Amazon’s innovative Career Choice program, which pre-pays 95% of tuition for courses in high-demand fields. Since the program’s launch four years ago, more than 25,000 employees have pursued degrees in game design and visual communications, nursing, IT programming and radiology, just to name a few.
Amazon has additionally pledged to invest over $700 million to provide upskilling training for 100,000 U.S. employees for in-demand jobs. Programs will help employees from all backgrounds access training to move into highly skilled roles across the company’s corporate offices, tech hubs, fulfillment centers, retails stores and transportation network, or pursue career paths outside of Amazon.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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