MA Coronavirus: Amazon Adding 1,800 Jobs During Crisis

STOUGHTON, MA — Amazon announced it's adding 1,800 jobs at its fufillment centers and other facilities in Massachusetts to help meet demand during the new coronavirus pandemic.

The jobs were part of 75,000 additional positions being added company-wide and will join the more than 5,000 full-time employees already working at Amazon's facilities throughout the state, the Boston Business Journal reported.

The hirings come at a time where layoffs have been much more common during the COVID-19 crisis. Last week, 2,369 Massachusetts workers were let go, according to the Massachusetts Department of Labor.

The new hirings will fill a range of roles including picking, packing, shipping and delivering customers' orders. All positions will start with a minimum pay of $17 per hour through the end of April. All full-time and some part-time positions will also receive benefits, a company spokesperson said.

Amazon has fulfillment centers in Stoughton, Milford, Holyoke and Fall River.

In Stoughton, Amazon had one employee test positive for COVID-19, the Brockton Enterprise reported. A spokesperson told the Enterprise all staff at the facility were notified, and any employees who had close contact with the person will be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days. The employee who tested positive and those quarantining will be paid for up to two weeks, the company said.

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