Amazon is preparing for the annual online shopping onslaught by hiring 13,000 extra seasonal staff to work in its UK warehouses and customer service centres over Christmas.
The figure represents a fall from 15,000 temporary jobs in 2013, however it hired 1,000 permanent employees in the last year and plans to add a further 1,000 to its 6,000 strong permanent over the next few months.
The 13,000 roles will be based at Amazon’s eight fulfilment centres across the UK and its customer service centre in Edinburgh.
Last year, on the busiest day in the run up to Christmas, Amazon customers ordered 4.1 million items - that’s about 47 items ordered per second.
Amazon director of UK operations John Tagawa said: “The thousands of seasonal associates who join us at this time of year play an integral role in helping us deliver an exceptional experience for our customers during this incredibly busy time.
“We look forward to welcoming back those associates who join us each and every Christmas as well as many new faces who are joining the Amazon team for the first time.”
Amazon representatives were in court this month over allegations it forced US warehouse workers to endure a 25 minute wait for a security screening after they had clocked off.
