Amazon's mid-year job fair sets the stage for hiring spree

Dive Brief:

Amazon will host its first job fair on August 2 with the intent of hiring 50,000 new employees, CNN Tech reported.
Most of the hiring will occur in the following locations where new fulfillment centers have been built: Baltimore, MD; Chattanooga, TN; Etna, OH; Fall River, MA; Hebron, KY; Kenosha, WI; Kent, WA; Robbinsville, NJ; Romeoville, IL; and Whitestown, IN. Off-site hiring for part-time opportunities will be held in Buffalo, NY and Oklahoma City, OK.
Full-time jobs come with benefits; workers of 20 hours or more are eligible for life and disability insurance, dental and vision, plus contributions toward medical expenses. The jobs are generally in packing, sorting and customer service at company fulfillment centers. Some managerial positions are also available.

Dive Insight:

Amazon's job fair indicates the new definition of "peak season" — busy e-commerce sellers generally try to ensure that their need for stockers, pickers and phone assistance is in place as early as possible to allow for training and attrition. This year, Amazon is going further by advertising "on the spot" hiring, indicating the company's anticipation of a strong holiday market.

At present, the job fair will be addressing the needs of new warehouses. If numbers serve, 5,000 workers will be needed for each of the 10 new warehouses listed above. Add to that the part-timers and the 50,000 advertised could grow into 55,000 or even 60,000 new hires. With the enticement of benefits, the company should have little trouble meeting its goal.

During last year's peak shipping season, FedEx and UPS together employed roughly 145,000 seasonal workers. The need for warehouse labor was so marked, the companies began battling for labor through improved incentives, and even full-time job offers.

What remains uncertain is whether the quickly hired will stay with the company once the holidays end, and what algorithm will be then used to determine company need. A strong holiday season doesn't necessarily indicate a continued need for a fully staffed warehouse, nor does it indicate that the company can go lean in pickers, stockers and customer service. And, with growing competition from manufacturing, if the newly hired staff does depart, there's no guarantee of future availability, meaning that perhaps we'll be seeing an annual job fair, rather than this year's one-off.