Amazon wanted to hire 30k, more than 200k applied.

[Mai72]

Amazon wanted to hire 30,000 workers. More than 200,000 applied | CNN Business

In the week after Amazon announced plans to fill 30,000 jobs in the US, the company was deluged with more than 208,000 online applications. That's more than 18 job applications uploaded per minute.

www.cnn.com

Don't know what to make of this. Is Amazon really a great place to work at, or is the economy in a really bad spot and that many people still don't have adequate employment? I mean $15hr ain't much money even with benefits It's decent to start though, and I know it's low skilled work. But still. 200k plus applicants? Makes you think that there are many Americans who are having difficulty. Wait until the economoy really crashes. Hopefully it doesn't happen.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

It's just like anything - if an employer is well known their chances of receiving applications increases exponentially.

If you're a no-name or a small business - your chances of people noticing and applying are slim.

Good example - unless you have an online application portal, you're kinda screwed these days. I honestly have yet to ever apply for a job by paper in my entire existence.

 

[shortylickens]

thank god donald trump created all those jobs so people dont have to fight for employment.

 

[Fenixgoon]

That's only 6.66 applicants per job. Not really that bad. Its just that there's a shitton of jobs.

 

[Zorba]

That's only 6.66 applicants per job. Not really that bad. Its just that there's a shitton of jobs.

Yeah, it isn't unusual for my company to get 50+ resumes for every engineering job. The problem is right now nearly all of them can be tossed out within a couple seconds.

 

[DrMrLordX]

Don't know what to make of this. Is Amazon really a great place to work at, or is the economy in a really bad spot and that many people still don't have adequate employment? I mean $15hr ain't much money even with benefits It's decent to start though, and I know it's low skilled work. But still. 200k plus applicants? Makes you think that there are many Americans who are having difficulty. Wait until the economoy really crashes. Hopefully it doesn't happen.

Have known a few folks who worked at a local Fulfillment Center (FC) back in 2014 or so. A few points:

1). If you're talking about an FC, then no, it really isn't that good of a place to work.
2). Applicants may be previous employees that worked there seasonally. Amazon jacks up their pay starting in . . . November? Ish? And the pay increase lasts until January. Pay for this time period can easily exceed $17/hr depending on local conditions and what jobs you take (used to be, pick and pack got paid the most, but that may change at some point). If you are a college student or an "unskilled laborer" working in a moderate-to-high turnover industry, it can make sense to take a break from your current employer to hit up Amazon for 3-4 months of work at inflated wages. Amazon will shed almost everyone their hire for peak.

Amazon's turnover rate at their FCs is stunningly high. The staffing agency will tolerate a lot during the hiring process and quite a bit during peak. You don't really have to hit rate as long as you show up and demonstrate a willingness to do some work. After peak, they'll use rate to cull the slow. They'll also chase off any unwanted felons or other ne'er-do-wells that somehow "accidentally" got offered positions anyway. The rest get offered full-time positions (if you refuse one, the staffing agency will try to get rid of you). Long-term full time employees are offered progressively-higher bonuses to quit each year after peak.

Unless you're crazy, you don't use Amazon FC jobs as a form of long-term employment. It's too chaotic and messy. Try not to look at seasonal Amazon positions as an indicator of job demand. Taking a pack position over peak on night shift is a bit like swilling an energy drink. It'll give you a quick shot of high wages and long hours (hope you like 12-hour overtime shifts), but once it's over, you will crash. Then it's back to the real world.

 

[fskimospy]

Have known a few folks who worked at a local Fulfillment Center (FC) back in 2014 or so. A few points:

1). If you're talking about an FC, then no, it really isn't that good of a place to work.
2). Applicants may be previous employees that worked there seasonally. Amazon jacks up their pay starting in . . . November? Ish? And the pay increase lasts until January. Pay for this time period can easily exceed $17/hr depending on local conditions and what jobs you take (used to be, pick and pack got paid the most, but that may change at some point). If you are a college student or an "unskilled laborer" working in a moderate-to-high turnover industry, it can make sense to take a break from your current employer to hit up Amazon for 3-4 months of work at inflated wages. Amazon will shed almost everyone their hire for peak.

Amazon's turnover rate at their FCs is stunningly high. The staffing agency will tolerate a lot during the hiring process and quite a bit during peak. You don't really have to hit rate as long as you show up and demonstrate a willingness to do some work. After peak, they'll use rate to cull the slow. They'll also chase off any unwanted felons or other ne'er-do-wells that somehow "accidentally" got offered positions anyway. The rest get offered full-time positions (if you refuse one, the staffing agency will try to get rid of you). Long-term full time employees are offered progressively-higher bonuses to quit each year after peak.

Unless you're crazy, you don't use Amazon FC jobs as a form of long-term employment. It's too chaotic and messy. Try not to look at seasonal Amazon positions as an indicator of job demand. Taking a pack position over peak on night shift is a bit like swilling an energy drink. It'll give you a quick shot of high wages and long hours (hope you like 12-hour overtime shifts), but once it's over, you will crash. Then it's back to the real world.

Yes, I've read stories about what it is like to work in one of them and it sounds frankly awful.

 

[DrunkenSano]

Amazon wanted to hire 30,000 workers. More than 200,000 applied | CNN Business

In the week after Amazon announced plans to fill 30,000 jobs in the US, the company was deluged with more than 208,000 online applications. That's more than 18 job applications uploaded per minute.

www.cnn.com

Don't know what to make of this. Is Amazon really a great place to work at, or is the economy in a really bad spot and that many people still don't have adequate employment? I mean $15hr ain't much money even with benefits It's decent to start though, and I know it's low skilled work. But still. 200k plus applicants? Makes you think that there are many Americans who are having difficulty. Wait until the economoy really crashes. Hopefully it doesn't happen.

Economy is not in a good spot and I don't mean in terms of unemployment numbers but the wage gap and how much it costs these days to make an actual living. Back in the day, the wage gap and cost of living was feasible enough for the father of the household to work while the mother stays at home to take care of the kids. Now, with how wages have stagnated because profits are pretty much fully directed to the senior management and shareholders, both parents have to work which drives up the number of jobs needed. Automation and technology has reduced the number of people needed years ago to do the same task. Lastly, for some families working in low end slave wage jobs, one job is not enough to support a family, they need to work more than one.

 

[senseamp]

LOL. Amazon jobs site has 900 open positions in NYC, only 200 in second HQ "winner" Arlington.

 

[DrMrLordX]

Yes, I've read stories about what it is like to work in one of them and it sounds frankly awful.

There are worse places to work. You just have to make sure that when you work for Amazon as a low-level grunt that you don't stay there for long.

 

[zinfamous]

Amazon wanted to hire 30,000 workers. More than 200,000 applied | CNN Business

In the week after Amazon announced plans to fill 30,000 jobs in the US, the company was deluged with more than 208,000 online applications. That's more than 18 job applications uploaded per minute.

www.cnn.com

Don't know what to make of this. Is Amazon really a great place to work at, or is the economy in a really bad spot and that many people still don't have adequate employment? I mean $15hr ain't much money even with benefits It's decent to start though, and I know it's low skilled work. But still. 200k plus applicants? Makes you think that there are many Americans who are having difficulty. Wait until the economoy really crashes. Hopefully it doesn't happen.

wat?

you think all 200k are unemployed?

not sure if you've ever had a job in your life...but people apply for new jobs while they are employed.

It's a thing.

check it out.

 

[BUTCH1]

wat?

you think all 200k are unemployed?

not sure if you've ever had a job in your life...but people apply for new jobs while they are employed.

It's a thing.

check it out.

Yea, this is about the benefit package a lot more than the actual hourly wage, when you work for a large company the insurance tends to be much, much better. Many people have insurance that has huge deductibles or large co-pays and the wages people make mean they often don't have thousands of extra $$ to cover a serious illness.

 

[sdifox]

Not that bad.in early 2000s I was hiring one dba and got 700 applications of varying quality.

 

[WHAMPOM]

Amazon wanted to hire 30,000 workers. More than 200,000 applied | CNN Business

In the week after Amazon announced plans to fill 30,000 jobs in the US, the company was deluged with more than 208,000 online applications. That's more than 18 job applications uploaded per minute.

www.cnn.com

Don't know what to make of this. Is Amazon really a great place to work at, or is the economy in a really bad spot and that many people still don't have adequate employment? I mean $15hr ain't much money even with benefits It's decent to start though, and I know it's low skilled work. But still. 200k plus applicants? Makes you think that there are many Americans who are having difficulty. Wait until the economoy really crashes. Hopefully it doesn't happen.

Our local window manufacturer gets fifty to a hundred applications per starter opening. The paper mill gets over two hundred(higher pay). Your 6 people per job is pretty poor.

 

[sportage]

Imagine Amazon as the McDonalds of the future.
Where like McDonalds, Amazon is everywhere and everyone works for Amazon, or has at one time.
Imagine Amazon the major US employer of the future.
However, by then Amazon would have expanded into many other areas overtaking Walmart, most all grocery stores, all health food stores, car repair, healthcare products such as but not limited to providing eye glasses and exams. Amazon moving into areas no one had ever imagined. Just wait until you open your checking account at THE BANK OF AMAZON. Thousands of locations nation wide.
Kinda like Walmart on steroids.

 

[BUTCH1]

Our local window manufacturer gets fifty to a hundred applications per starter opening. The paper mill gets over two hundred(higher pay). Your 6 people per job is pretty poor.

And that explains a lot in a nutshell, yea, unemployment is down to 3.9% but many, many, people are making shit wages and the cost of living goes up and up. Shoot, 2 Bdr Apts around here are fetching $1150=1300 and the median wage is around $10/hr, I really don't know how people are doing it.