Catherwood LibraryILR School

As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, many companies have had to cut employees or close their doors entirely, but Amazon has upped its workforce by more than 50 percent from a year ago. Amazon added 427,300 jobs between January and October, bringing its employee base to more than 1.2 million people globally. Even when compared to other large retail companies, such as Walmart or Target, Amazon's recruitment surge remains unprecedented. The only comparable hiring spree in United States history occurred for entire industries during wartime, such as shipbuilding during World War II.