Amazon to hire 1,000 in Charlotte area, 2,500 across Carolinas to keep up with order surges

NEW YORK (WBTV/AP) - Amazon says it needs to hire 100,000 people across the U.S. to keep up with a crush of orders as the coronavirus spreads and more people are shopping online - and 2,500 of those jobs are coming to the Carolinas.

The company tells WBTV that 1,000 workers will be hired in the Charlotte region, with 2,000 total jobs coming to North Carolina. Throughout South Carolina, the company says, they are hoping to add 500 jobs.

The online retailer will also temporarily raise pay by $2 an hour through the end of April for hourly employees, Amazon said, bringing the minimum wage to $17 an hour “for employees and partners who are in fulfillment centers, transportation operations, stores or those making deliveries so that others can remain at home.”

That includes workers at its warehouses, delivery centers and Whole Foods grocery stores, all of whom make at least $15 an hour.

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Amazon said this weekend that a surge of orders is putting its operations under pressure.

It warned shoppers that it could take longer than the usual two days to get packages.

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