Amazon invests 700 million dollars in its workers

Amazon announced this morning a plan to invest more than 700 million dollars to train workers throughout the United States so they can perform technical and non-technical functions in their corporate offices, technology centers, compliance centers, retail stores and transportation networks .

The company's goal is to "raise" 100,000 of its US employees to get more demand jobs by the year 2025, or one in three of Amazon's American workers.

In particular, Amazon has its job functions as a data mapping specialist, data scientist, solutions architect and business analyst, as well as logistics coordinator, process improvement manager and transport specialist, he says.

Based on a review of their workforce and hiring in the United States, these are the fastest growing and most highly skilled jobs in the last five years.

For example, data mapping specialists have seen job growth of 832% in the last five years, based on Amazon's own data.

While the jobs of data scientists grew by 505%, those of architects of solutions by 454%, those of security engineers by 229% and those of business analysts by 160%. Meanwhile, highly qualified jobs in customer satisfaction have grown by 400%.

Amazon has an army of employees

It is expected that Amazon's workforce in the United States will reach 300,000 employees this year. And that reaches the 630,000 employees around the world.

The investment in retraining is broken down by around $ 7,000 per worker, and is one of the largest corporate retraining programs to date.

The financing will be distributed through a series of programs, including both existing programs and new initiatives. It will also focus on the training of people with and without technical training.

These programs include the new Amazon Technical Academy, which will train non-technical Amazon employees with skills that allow them to make the transition to software and engineering careers.

The new Associate2Tech program, which will train the associates of the compliance centers so that they can perform technical functions. And the new University of Machine Learning, which will train those with technical knowledge to branch out to machine learning.

A technical career program supported by Amazon

Amazon will also expand its Career Choice program, launched in 2012. It offers prepaid enrollments to associates of vocational training centers who wish to occupy high-demand jobs.

In addition to Amazon Apprenticeship, a program certified by the Department of Labor that offers training in paid classrooms and learning at work with Amazon; and its AWS training and certification programs. Focused on closing the qualifications gap.

"Through our continued investment in local communities in more than 40 states across the country, we have created tens of thousands of jobs in the US. Only in the last year, "said Beth Galetti, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, in a statement published this morning.

"For us, creating these opportunities is only the beginning. While many of our employees want to build their careers here, for others it can be a stepping stone to different aspirations.

We believe it is important to invest in our employees and help them acquire new skills and create more professional options for themselves. With this commitment, we are committed to supporting 100,000 Amazonians so that they acquire the necessary skills to take the next step in their careers, "he added.

The investment follows the increase in Amazon's minimum wage to $ 15 for all US employees last year, after the retailer was increasingly attacked by the way its workers were treated and paid.

Senator Bernie Sanders, in particular, had called Amazon to commit to "corporate welfare." Noting that Amazonian wages were so low that workers could not take care of their families. Which meant that thousands were in government subsidy programs, like food stamps.

They encourage an increase in the minimum wage

The executive director of Amazon, Jeff BezosHe later challenged other retailers to follow his example and also increase their minimum wages. But that is easier said than done. Since Amazon is so far ahead that its closest e-commerce competitor, Walmart. You are losing $ 1 billion this year in your e-commerce division as you try to catch up.

The news also comes at a time when the impact of technology on employment is beginning to take shape. As warehouses are automated and jobs, in general, become more dependent on technology. It makes sense that Amazon wants to search internally to cover these new positions.