Amazon is hiring 250,000 for holiday season, unchanged from 2023

Amazon.com Inc. will bring on about 250,000 people in the U.S. for the holiday shopping rush, unchanged from last year and an indication that the company expects steady demand in its biggest market.

The online retailer, which typically announces its fall hiring binge to attract new recruits, recently said it was raising hourly pay by at least $1.50 to more than $22 an hour for its 800,000 US transportation and warehousing workers.

Overall, Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. forecasts that retailers will add 520,000 jobs during the last three months of the year, down about 8% from 2023 amid a softening labor market and economy. Last month, Target Corp. said it would hire about 100,000 seasonal staff, the same as a year ago.

Some forecasts are more upbeat for e-commerce. Adobe Inc. expects US shoppers to spend some $240.8 billion online in November and December, up 8.4% from the prior year.