United Kingdom: Amazon offers £3,000 sign-on bonus ahead of Christmas period

At a time when labour shortages – linked to the pandemic as well as Brexit – threaten many UK companies, e-commerce giant Amazon is offering sign-up bonuses of up to £3,000 (€3,557) for new hires. The largest bonuses are for employees taking full-time roles at Amazon’s warehouse in Exeter, in the southwest of England. To qualify for the bonus, people, who may also have some of their travel expenses reimbursed, must agree to start working for Amazon by the end of the month. Currently, other jobs advertised by the US company include attractive bonuses ranging from £1,500 (€1,778) to £2,000 (€2,371) on hiring. This summer, some new Amazon employees were already being handed £1,000 (€1,185.66) in bonuses. Amazon’s move to outflank competition for staff, amid the recruitment rush in the lead up to Christmas, has been criticised by the British Independent Retailers Association. Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of the trade association, says: “This kind of action from Amazon will make it harder still for smaller companies who simply cannot afford such wages.”