Amazon Canada will hire 15,000 new warehouse and distribution workers in communities across the country this fall to support its expansion plans. The starting salary for its frontline workers in Canada will now range between $ 17 and $ 21.65 per hour, compared to the current starting salary of $ 16 per hour. Current employees will also receive an additional $ 1.60 to $ 2.20 per hour, effective immediately.
Amazon Canada currently has 25,000 full and part-time employees in 25 communities across five provinces. The company has 46 warehouses, logistics and delivery facilities in Canada, up from 30 in mid-2020. Further growth announcements are expected later this year, according to the company.
Sumegha Kumar, director of shipping operations to Canadian customers, declined to say whether Amazon faces a labor shortage in Canada, although she acknowledged “that there are places where we have more opportunities than others ”to fill vacant positions. She noted that raising wages was one way to ensure the company remained competitive. “We will always continue to monitor the progress of our market and make the necessary investments in our compensation structure,” she said.
Earlier this year, Amazon announced a pay hike for its new employees in the United States to US $ 17 an hour, in hopes of hiring 75,000 new workers in that country.
Necessary turn
Don Drummond, an economist at the School of Political Studies at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., Believes employers had no choice but to raise wages. Not only has the risk of contracting COVID at work made employees more hesitant to work at minimum wage, but the pool of potential candidates has shrunk due to border restrictions and the decline in international migration seen during the pandemic.
Employers struggling with a labor shortage must not only look at improving their base salary, but also offer benefits such as health and dental insurance for paid employees. hour, Mr. Drummond thinks.
Amazon says it provides access to health, dental and eye care benefits as well as training and education programs for all of its employees, regardless of position or seniority.
Amazon is also offering a $ 100 bonus to new and current employees who show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. The company has faced continuous outbreaks at several of its facilities throughout the pandemic.
Amazon has not imposed vaccination on its employees.
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