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Analysis points to Hub HQ
Boston and Washington, D.C., could be front-runners in the race to land Amazon’s second headquarters, according to an analysis of the kind of jobs the company is already posting in the 20 finalist cities.
“Given the relatively large number of ads for headquarter caliber occupations and the growth rate in those ads, the Washington, DC metro area and Boston seem the most likely candidates for a second headquarters,” The Conference Board said in a report released yesterday. “Amazon’s current footprint in these cities could ease the hiring of 50,000 new employees and growing demand signals their desire to increase their presence.”
Ben Hicks, with local recruiting firm WinterWyman, said analyzing existing job postings may be a smart way of finding what Amazon is thinking.
“That’s as good of a reason to predict where they’ll end up as anywhere else,” Hicks said. “The
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writing’s been on the wall that Amazon’s been doubling down on the Boston market. Even without the headquarters here, they’ve been growing their size significantly.”
The report found Boston and Washington, D.C., had the most openings for “headquarters” positions by comparing Amazon’s existing job openings in the 20 cities selected as finalists to the kinds of jobs Amazon has said will be hired for its new headquarters. Boston and three different cities and regions in the D.C. area were listed on Amazon’s shortlist earlier this year.
Last month, the Boston Planning & Development Agency approved a $5 million tax break for Amazon in exchange for a commitment to bring 2,000 new jobs to the Seaport. The company is also close to finishing construction on another office in Fort Point to go with even more office space in Cambridge, North Reading and elsewhere.
“In general, prior to even some of these recent things that have been written, I think Boston is a pretty good match for Amazon,” Hicks said.
Competition to land the new HQ has been fierce, with some states offering billions of dollars in tax incentives to land the company. Boston and Massachusetts have kept their tax incentive cards close to the chest, refusing to divulge what their financial offer will be.
“I am proud that Boston is on Amazon’s shortlist for its second North American headquarters,” Mayor Martin J. Walsh said in a statement. “As a thriving city with a talented and diverse workforce, culture of innovation and opportunity for all, I see no better city than Boston for Amazon to call their second home.”
Amazon officials have been visiting potential location across the country, and have said a final decision is likely to come later this year.