Amazon to spend billions to head off potential labor shortage during critical holiday season

Amazon plans to deploy up to $4 billion in labor outlays in an effort to avoid crippling worker shortages during the busy holiday season about to commence.

The company told the Washington Post this week that it “plans to spend an extra $4 billion to lure seasonal workers with richer paychecks and benefits,” the paper reported.

Amazon is also seeking to “ensure that packages arrive at its warehouses and on customer’s doorsteps, in part by shipping goods via less-crowded ports.”

Companies large and small have been struggling to fill labor positions over the past year, with the global economy’s post-lockdown reopening being hampered by workers unwilling to show up for jobs. 

Economic activity has also been hampered by supply chain disruptions—due in part to the labor issues in question—with U.S. ports seeing major backups and experts warning of potential consumer shortages in some sectors.