Amazon Plans To Increase Wages And Add Benefits – Is It Enough?

Holiday hiring has begun, and Amazon is kicking it off by offering big benefits to employees. Are these benefits worth it – or are corporations not making enough progress toward genuinely meeting the needs of workers?

People are looking for jobs after coming off a year with historically high unemployment. But many of us got pandemic-related unemployment pay – and learned what it’s like to actually have enough money to pay bills and get a little rest. Workers are more picky now with what they’re willing to do for low wages. 

So, is Amazon’s plan going to work?

Amazon wants to fill its many empty positions by adding new perks. The company plans to up their wages with $3 raises and even a $3,000 signing bonus. But this might not be enough.

Retail employees often work incredibly difficult hours and while better pay is a nice bonus, it doesn’t always make up for the awful working conditions. Long hours in unsafe environments, while dealing with disrespect from supervisors, is a tough sell.

This holiday season is expected to be a busy one. While a pay bump is definitive progress, workers have the right to demand more. Only time will tell whether companies like Amazon figure out how to attract the workers they need.