ATLANTA — Amazon, UPS, DHL, FedEx, Home Depot, and Walmart are some of the retail and shipping companies currently hiring thousands of people for seasonal and permanent positions around Atlanta and Georgia.
Each is hiring as Georgia's unemployment rate is rebounding from a high of 12.6 percent in April after pandemic related layoffs and business closures took place. The state's unemployment rate, though, while recovering, remains high at 7.6 percent as of July, compared to a record low in February of 3.1 percent.
Amazon, on Monday, announced 100,000 new positions across the U.S. and Canada, including 4,000 in the Atlanta area.
The jobs in the Atlanta area include the 1,000 new openings the company announced earlier this month at its latest distribution center in Stone Mountain. The facility in Gwinnett County is expected to later this year, with company representatives telling 11Alive it will be open in time for the holiday shopping season.
Amazon's announcement comes as the retailer deals with increased orders during the pandemic, is preparing for its yearly shopping deal event known as Prime Day (which a company spokeswoman told 11Alive will take place in October), and is also anticipating its busiest holiday shopping year ever.
The jobs in Stone Mountain are primarily warehouse positions - sorting and packing orders.
"Then we also have delivery stations where the packages are received, they're sorted by zip code, they're loaded onto vans and delivered directly to customers. Those are the types of roles we are hiring in addition to HR and finance," company spokeswoman Ashley Lansdale said.
Wages with Amazon befegin at $15 per hour with benefits available on day one.
Atlanta based UPS is looking to add 100,000 seasonal workers ahead of the holidays.
"Thirty-seven percent of our people that start seasonally will turn into permanent jobs," UPS' Stefond Harris recently told NBC news.
In Atlanta, the shipping company is looking to hire 5,000 people, in addition to 7,000 statewide. The jobs come with wages ranging from $14.50 an hour up to $21 an hour.
FedEx is also looking to add more than 70,000 seasonal positions in the "lead-up" to the peak holiday shopping season according to a company spokeswoman. The majority of the positions will be with FedEx Ground. The company on Thursday that they expected to hire more than 3,000 people the FedEx Ground facilities in Atlanta.
Meanwhile, shipping rival DHL confirmed with 11Alive it is expanding and also looking to hire in Atlanta. By the first quarter of 2021, DHL expects to open its first "fully-owned move-in-ready distribution center," near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport according to a company release.
The company is preparing to move into the 150,000 square foot building as it projects its holiday e-commerce shipping will increase 30 to 50 percent this holiday season compared to 2019.
The jump in volume would be on par with consumer trends during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent numbers from the U.S. Department of Commerce show in the first quarter of 2020, online shopping jumped 31.8 percent compared to 2019. In the second quarter, online retail spiked 44.5 percent compared to last year.
Walmart is also gearing up for the holidays and looking to hire approximately 2,500 people for its Atlanta area fulfillment centers. The seasonal jobs have wages from $16.25 up to $20.75 per hour, depending on the position, shift, and schedule.
The openings at Walmart are seasonal, with the opportunity for regular employment according to a company spokeswoman. She also mentioned with an expedited hiring process applicants could begin working within 48 hours.
Atlanta's Home Depot continues to hire after announcing in August it will open three new distribution centers in Georgia over the next 18 months. The company is responding to "growing demand for flexible delivery and pick-up options for Pro and DIY customers," according to a statement.
Home Depot is looking to add 1,000 additional employees in the Atlanta area, with a mix of full- and part-time openings.
Last week JCPenney held hiring events to fill 1,700 jobs at supply facilities nationwide. In the Forest Park area, the retailer still needs to hire approximately 70 people for seasonal supply chain associate positions. Duties of the role include, "packing, unpacking, banding, and assembling merchandise."
The job comes with a $14 per hour wage and discount.
To find more information or apply for openings at any of these employers, follow the links or information below.
Amazon: amazon.com/apply
UPS: upsjobs.com
FedEx: careers.fedex.com/fedex
DHL: Text DHLeC to 97211
Walmart: walmartcareers.com/fcjobs or text “FC” to 240240
Home Depot: careers.homedepot.com for a quick and easy application or text JOBS to 52270.
JCPenney: jcpcareers.com