Amazon.com, Inc. is an American multinational technology company based in Seattle, Washington, which focuses on e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. The company has been referred to as one of the most influential economic and cultural forces in the world, as well as the world’s most valuable brand. Recently Amazon announced that it plans to give more than 500,000 of its workers a raise as it seeks to attract new workers. Those getting raises include warehouse workers, who pack and ship orders, as well as those who work in Amazon’s package sorting centers and other facilities.
Amazon already pays new hires at least $15 an hour, said it will start increasing pay between 50 cents an hour to $3 an hour from next month onwards. The pay raise announcement comes after a failed union push at a Alabama warehouse, which put a national spotlight on working conditions at Amazon. Pro-union workers and organizers in Alabama said they wanted better pay and more breaks in their 10-hour shifts. Pay raise is part of its push, to hire more workers. The company has needed more people to get orders to shoppers during the pandemic as Americans increasingly shop online. It hired 500,000 people in 2020 alone, bringing its total workforce to nearly 1.3 million people worldwide. The company shared that it’s investing over $1 billion in these pay increases. Talking about workers Amazon founder Jeff Bezos acknowledged in a shareholder letter that the company could to do better for its workers and said he didn’t take comfort in the outcome of the union election in Alabama.
Seattle-based Amazon is the second-largest private employer in the U.S. behind retail rival Walmart. Furthermore, Costco, too recently raised its minimum wage to $16 an hour. Target recently raised its starting pay to $15 an hour. These multi-national companies who raising their pay, is boon for employees due to pandemic situation, as people need financial aid most nowadays. As per the sources Amazon earned $21 billion in profit in 2020, and its market capitalization was $1.74 trillion. Company is more likely to gain more profit due to pandemic
