Amazon says it plans to hire more than 300,000 people for seasonal, part-time and full-time roles across its U.S. operations this holiday season, an increase of 20% from last year and its largest holiday hiring target on record.
The increase reflects a mix of factors, including new sites opening across the country as Amazon expands its operations network, a spokesperson said in response to questions.
Amazon is moving in the opposite direction from the rest of retail. Retailers added the fewest seasonal workers since 2008 last holiday season, and outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas expects even fewer this year, citing automation and uncertain holiday spending as tariffs keep prices high.
UPS plans to hire more than 100,000 seasonal workers, about 9% fewer than last year, according to Reuters, after cutting the volume it handles for Amazon, which now delivers most of its own packages. Target and Walmart haven’t announced national hiring goals.
Amazon’s sales volume has picked up this year. Worldwide paid units, a measure of items sold on Amazon, grew 17% year-over-year in the second quarter, up from 12% a year earlier, according to its second-quarter earnings release.
CEO Andy Jassy said in the earnings release that Amazon set record delivery speeds for Prime members in the first half of the year, with “over 40% more items delivered same-day or overnight.”
Amazon also said Tuesday that seasonal employees who work at least 30 hours a week will be eligible for healthcare from their first day, starting Jan. 1. Seasonal workers previously had to wait 90 days for coverage, meaning that many holiday hires could finish their seasonal jobs before they became eligible.
The change doesn’t apply to the upcoming peak season, but workers hired over the holidays who are still in qualifying roles on Jan. 1 will gain coverage that day, the company said.
Seasonal workers earn an average of $20 an hour. Full-time operations employees start at a minimum of $20 an hour, and average pay across Amazon’s operations workforce is nearly $24, following a pay increase Amazon announced last month.
The hiring push for Amazon’s fulfillment centers and delivery stations comes as the company shrinks its corporate workforce. Amazon cut 16,000 corporate jobs in January, bringing its total reductions to about 30,000 since October 2025.
Amazon had about 1.6 million employees as of June 30, up 3% from a year earlier, excluding contractors and temporary workers. The company reports third-quarter results Oct. 29.