Online retail giant Amazon has announced that it is planning to create 5,000 UK jobs this year, taking the total workforce in the UK to 24,000.
The new jobs will be primarily in its existing fulfilment centres, as well as at three yet to be opened sites in Tilbury, Doncaster and Daventry.
Beyond the online retail side, Amazon is to offer an apprenticeship programme in logistics, engineering and warehousing roles. The company will also be opening a new UK head office in the 15 storey Principal Place and nearby residential tower in Shoreditch, London.
Doug Gurr, UK country manager, Amazon, said, “We are creating thousands of new UK jobs including hundreds of apprenticeship opportunities as we continue to innovate for our customers and provide them with even faster delivery, more selection and better value.
“We are hiring for all types of roles from flight test engineers, software engineers and corporate managers in our development centres and head office, to operations managers, supervisors, engineers, service technicians, HR roles and order fulfilment roles in our fulfilment centres. We are also proud to empower many thousands of others to work alongside Amazon in serving our customers – from Marketplace sellers to Flex delivery drivers to Kindle Direct Publishing authors.”
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said, “Amazon’s commitment to London will deliver new jobs and growth for the economy and offers further proof of our status as a world-class destination for global technology businesses. Home to some of the world’s top tech talent, London is Europe’s leading technology hub. Amazon’s continued growth in our city is another sign that London remains open to innovation, entrepreneurship and investment from all over the world.”