Amazon today announced 700 new permanent roles in its UK fulfilment centres. Amazon now employs more than 7,800 people at its eight UK fulfilment centres. This compares with more than 4,000 at the beginning of 2011. Amazon will also hire thousands of temporary workers ahead of the Christmas peak season.
All permanent Amazon associates start on £7.20 an hour or above. This rate increases by at least 11 percent over their first two years of employment, by which time all employees earn £8 an hour and above. Amazon say that permanent associates also receive a comprehensive benefits package, including private medical insurance, a company pension plan, life assurance, income protection, subsidised meals and an employee discount. All permanent associates also receive stock grants, which over the last five years equal to £1,000 or more per year per associate.
Amazon also introduced Career Choice last year, an innovative new education programme which pre-pays 95% of tuition and associated fees for permanent employees to undertake nationally recognised courses and funds up to £8,000 over four years.
Amazon has eight fulfilment centres across the UK in Doncaster, Dunfermline, Gourock, Hemel Hempstead, Milton Keynes, Peterborough, Rugeley and Swansea Bay. Amazon recently announced that it will open a new fulfilment centre in Dunstable next month, creating a further 500 permanent jobs. A second fulfilment centre In Doncaster will also open in later this year, creating more than 300 new permanent jobs over three years.
