Amazon is recruiting for more than 200 newly-created jobs at its frontline operations across Dublin, the company announced on Wednesday. It also said it was increasing workers’ minimum starting pay and enhancing general employee benefits.
This represents “Amazon’s sustained investment in its Irish workforce”, the company said.
The ecommerce giant headed by Jeff Bezos intends to fill the new positions across its fulfilment centre in Baldonnel, west Dublin and its two distribution centres in Rathcoole, not far from Baldonnel, and Ballycoolin in northwest Dublin.
The recruitment drive will bring the company’s Irish workforce up to 700 people, “enabling a wider selection for amazon.ie customers, alongside faster delivery across Ireland seven days a week, including one-day delivery on hundreds of thousands of items”, the company said.
The company said it will increase the minimum starting pay for operational employees on full-time, part-time and fixed-term contracts across Ireland by 65 cent, up to €17.10 an hour from September 27th.
“This is the latest in a series of annual increases,” the company said. “Since 2022, Amazon’s minimum starting pay in Ireland has risen from €13.50 to €17,10 per hour – an increase of approximately 27 per cent.”
“Amazon’s starting rate is now €2.95 per hour above the national minimum wage and €1.70 above the living wage,” it added. This represents a starting annual salary of €35,568.
Alongside the increase in pay, the company is introducing a free Amazon Prime membership for “all eligible frontline employees in Ireland for the first time”.
Valued at just under €70 annually, the membership affords access to unlimited free deliveries of millions of products listed on the retailer’s website, a subscription to its streaming platform Prime Video, as well as exclusive deals.
“Our frontline employees are at the heart of everything we do, and this pay increase reflects our continued commitment to investing in the people who make Amazon work for customers every day,” Darragh Kelly, regional director for Amazon’s logistics in the Britain and Ireland, said.
“We’re offering one of the most competitive total compensation packages in the sector,” he said.
Other employee benefits offered by Amazon to its Irish workforce include a pension plan, employee discounts, flexible shift options and a pay rise for eligible employees after three years working there.
The company said it also offers a “career choice programme” that covers tuition fees for nationally recognised education courses, “whether or not the training leads to a career at Amazon”.