The Saratogian (Saratoga, NY)

Amazon’s new fulfillmen­t center seeks job applicants

Amazon’s new fulfillmen­t center in Schodack seeks job applicants

- By Michael Gwizdala mgwizdala@digitalfir­stmedia.com Reporter

SCHODACK, N.Y. » Amazon’s new fulfillmen­t center in Schodack is starting the process of hiring more than 1,000 new, full-time positions.

The employees will join more than 24,000 full- and part-time employees already working across the state with $15 an hour minimum wage and comprehens­ive benefits beginning on day one.

The more than one million square foot, state-ofthe-art facility is located on U.S. Route 9 in Castleton. Employees there will work alongside innovative technologi­es to pick, pack and ship larger-sized items to customers across the region, including bulk cleaning supplies and paper goods, sports equipment, pet food and supplies, electronic­s, and household goods, to name a few.

Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin applauded the welcome news of additional jobs.

“We are obviously very excited to see hiring begin at Amazon in Schodack. This is a day we have worked for, and the project is moving forward to completion. Amazon will create 800 new jobs, and these jobs will be a great entry or reentry into employment for so many,” McLaughlin said.

Echoing McLaughlin’s sentiments was President of the Rensselaer County Industrial Developmen­t Agency Bob Pasinella.

“Any announceme­nt of new jobs and increased hiring in today’s challengin­g economy is welcome news, making Amazon’s decision to expand their planned hiring for their new regional distributi­on center in Rensselaer County from 800 to more than 1,000 jobs [is] great news for local families and local communitie­s,” Pasinella remarked.

“Amazon’s broad range of goods and services, delivered to your doorstep, have proven increasing­ly valuable during this global pandemic, and we’re excited to partner with Amazon as they bring this new facility online and begin the hiring process for their team members,” Pasinella added.

According to Amazon, from 2010-2019, the company has invested more than $7.1 billion into its local fulfillmen­t center infrastruc­ture and through compensati­on to thousands of employees in the state.

Amazon’s investment­s in New York contribute­d an additional $5.7+ billion into New York’s economy from 2010 through 2019, and using methodolog­y developed by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Amazon estimates its investment­s in the state have created an additional 17,400+ indirect jobs on top of the company’s 24,000 direct hires.

On top of Amazon’s $15 minimum wage, the company offers full-time employees industry-leading benefits, which include health, vision and dental insurance from day one, 401(k) with 50 percent company match, up to 20 weeks paid parental leave and Amazon’s innovative Career Choice program, which pre-pays 95% of tuition for courses in high-demand fields.

Since the program’s launch four years ago, more than 25,000 employees have pursued degrees in game design and visual communicat­ions, nursing, IT programmin­g, and radiology, to name a few.

In addition, Amazon has pledged to invest over $700 million to provide upskilling training for 100,000 U.S. employees for in-demand jobs. Programs will help Amazonians from all background­s access training to move into highlyskil­led roles across the company’s corporate offices, tech hubs, fulfillmen­t centers, retails stores, and transporta­tion network or pursue career paths outside of Amazon.

“Amazon is proud to provide a safe, innovative work environmen­t in which associates are the heart and soul of our operations,” Christophe­r Onisk, site leader of Amazon’s Schodack fulfillmen­t center commented.

“We are excited to create more than 1,000 new full

time jobs and look forward to welcoming them to the team,” Onisk added.

Job candidates must be 18 years or older and have a high school diploma or equivalent to be considered. Jobs are available on a rolling basis. Those interested in working for Amazon are encouraged to sign up for text alerts for regular updates. Interested candidates can sign up for text alerts by texting ALBNOW to 77088 to receive automated messages about job openings.

Interested candidates can also apply online at amazon.com/albanyjobs.

 ?? PHOTO COURTESY OF RENSSELAER COUNTY/FILE ?? A look at the Amazon warehouse site in Schodack a few months ago.
PHOTO COURTESY OF RENSSELAER COUNTY/FILE A look at the Amazon warehouse site in Schodack a few months ago.

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