Amazon will be one of the 10 largest private sector employers in the U.K. when it adds more than 4,000 new permanent roles across the region by the end of this year, putting its total headcount in the area at about 75,000, according to a company blog post announcing its upcoming hiring spree.
When Amazon reaches the 75,000-employee level, it will have created about 40,000 new jobs in the U.K. in the past three years, the blog post said Thursday (July 14). Amazon has also invested “billions of pounds” across the region in recent years, the post said, with the company’s operations supporting more than 410,000 jobs beyond its direct employees.
More than 85,000 British small and medium-sized businesses sell on Amazon, supporting 250,000 jobs across the U.K., and there are more than 160,000 jobs supported in Amazon’s supply chain, according to research by economic consulting firm Keystone.
The latest round of hiring will include roles in corporate and technology functions in Amazon and Amazon Web Services (AWS), including software development, product management, engineering and operations teams positions in fulfillment centers, sort centers and delivery stations. Amazon is opening new fulfillment centers in Wakefield and Knowsley.
Amazon had previously announced the creation of 1,500 new apprenticeships in 2022.
“We’re continuing to invest in talent right across the UK, from apprentices in Swansea to data scientists in Edinburgh,” said John Boumphrey, Amazon UK Country Manager, in the blog post.
There are more than 2,300 employees in Amazon’s Career Choice program, which provides funding for Amazon employees to gain new skills and qualifications.
Related: Amazon Faces UK Antitrust Probe Over Sales Practices
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) earlier this month began investigating whether Amazon “has a dominant position in the U.K. and whether it is abusing that position and distorting competition by giving an unfair advantage to its own retail business or sellers that use its services.”
The investigation, which will consider whether Amazon is offering preferential treatment to its own third-party sellers on the Amazon U.K. Marketplace, follows the European Commission’s examination of similar concerns for the world’s largest retailer.
For all PYMNTS EMEA coverage, subscribe to the daily EMEA Newsletter.
We’re always on the lookout for opportunities to partner with innovators and disruptors.
Learn More