Amazon offers £1,500 sign on bonus to recruit hundreds of extra staff in Peterborough

The ecommerce giant is looking to take on new permanent and part-time staff as it prepares for the traditional surge in demand ahead of Christmas.

But the company is facing tough competition from many other employers as they also try to attract applicants to fill a wealth of vacancies that have opened up following the easing of lockdown restrictions.

Now Amazon has announced that it is prepared to pay a sign on bonus of £1,000 to £1,500 to each new employee to ensure it can fully staff its around-the-clock operations.

A spokesperson for Amazon said: “We are currently offering a sign on bonus at a number of locations to attract new permanent and seasonal associates.”

Amazon, which operates three depots in Peterborough,employing almost 2,000 people, says the bonus will be offered to eligible candidates for permanent and temporary roles and will support its summer demand and help it prepare for the festive season ahead.

The exact amount of bonus paid is shift dependant.

The spokesperson added: “Amazon provides some of the most advanced workplaces of their kind in the world.

“We offer competitive pay, starting at £10 per hour, flexible working schedules - full-time, part-time or seasonal - and a comprehensive benefits package.

“These are all alongside processes and systems to ensure the wellbeing and safety of all employees.”

With Amazon pay rates above the National Minimum Wage of £8.91 per hour, the new jobs should go some way to easing the rise in Universal Credit (UC) claimants in Peterborough.

A 1.5 per cent increase in claimants last month has been blamed on the number of lowly paid jobs in the city that still leave too many people needing UC support.

Growth of lowly paid jobs is blamed for new rise in benefit claims in Peterborough