Amazon is increasing the average starting pay for frontline employees in customer fulfillment and transportation roles to $19 per hour from $18. Amazon also announced other changes. including an expansion of its Anytime Pay program and an upskilling program.
These workers will now earn between $16 and $26 per hour depending on their position and location in the US.
“Front-line employees across customer fulfillment and transportation will now earn, on average, more than $19 per hour in the US, and they also have access to a growing range of comprehensive benefits to support themselves and their families,” said John Felton, Amazon’s senior VP of worldwide operations.
In addition, the company is expanding its Anytime Pay program to all employees across its US operations, corporate and technology networks. It provides workers with access to up to 70% of their eligible earning pay whenever they choose without fees. Previously, most Amazon employees received their regular pay once or twice a month.
Amazon has also added a career advancement program called the Amazon Intelligence Initiative, designed to place employees in engineering roles within Amazon Web Services, working to operate AWS’ dedicated cloud regions. Employees participate in a 12- to 14-month program to enhance their technical skills. They then complete multiple on-the-job rotations to gain hands-on experience alongside AWS engineers. Participants are provided with full-time employment during the training, and they are placed in appropriate roles after their training is complete.