London (AFP)
The American e-commerce giant Amazon announced Friday the creation of 10,000 jobs in the United Kingdom in 2021, thanks in particular to the opening of new distribution centers, in order to meet the boom in demand with the pandemic.
The group will increase its total workforce in the country to 55,000 people by the end of the year, according to a statement.
Amazon had announced the day before the hiring of an additional 75,000 in the United States and Canada.
It employed a total of 1.27 million people worldwide as of March 31, 50% more than a year earlier, including more than 800,000 in the United States.
In the UK, the new jobs created will be in administrative services, Amazon Web Services data centers, and distribution.
Hiring will be in several large cities including London, Manchester and Edinburgh, for example, in digital marketing, software or artificial intelligence.
Amazon, which has invested more than $ 23 billion in the country since 2010, will also open a parcel reception center, and four new distribution centers.
"We are creating thousands of good jobs across the UK and in a variety of functions, with very good pay," said John Boumphrey, head of Amazon in the country, in the statement.
The leader insists on social benefits, such as health coverage for example, while the group is regularly singled out by unions on the way it treats its employees, especially the less qualified in distribution centers.
British Minister for Enterprise Kwasi Kwarteng, quoted in the Amazon press release, called the announcement "a huge mark of confidence in the British economy", which will help the country after the pandemic.
© 2021 AFP