Hiring Amazon is now one of world’s largest employers

Amazon has surged up the ranks of the world’s largest employers adding nearly 250,000 staff in the past three months for a total of

1.13 million, Matthew Field writes.

The online retail giant’s hiring spree over the last two years has propelled it into the world’s top 10 largest employers. Brian Olsavsky, Amazon’s finance chief, said the company was continuing to add people “at a rapid clip”.

Amazon’s services have been in huge demand as millions of people stay at home and turn to online shopping, rather than visiting the high street.

That number does not include contractors and seasonal workers, who are expected to swell Amazon’s numbers by over 100,000. The median annual salary of an Amazon worker is $28,848 (£22,000).

Its massive headcount leaves it just short of Indian Railways, the giant public sector employer, which has

1.2 million staff, and China Petroleum with around

1.3 million people. It is still some way short of the world’s largest private employer, Walmart, founded in 1962, which has an estimated

2.2 million people. It is also smaller than the largest public sector employer, the NHS which has around

1.5 million people. But it is now bigger than the US Postal Service and China Post. The US Department of Defence is the single largest employer in the US, with around 2.8 million people between active soldiers, reservists and civilians. The People’s Liberation Army has more than two million people.