Amazon to create more than 1,300 jobs in South Yorkshire

E-commerce giant Amazon will create more than 10,000 new permanent jobs in 2021, taking its total UK workforce to more than 55,000 people by the end of year.

More than 1,300 of these additional roles will be at a new parcel receive centre in Doncaster.

iPort, Doncaster is the preferred site for the new parcel centre. Doncaster is already home to several Amazon fulfilment centres and has been a key driver in the development of an iPort Academy facilitated by Business Doncaster which supports local residents into work.

Doncaster deputy mayor Councillor Glyn Jones, cabinet member for housing and business, said: “We are delighted to see Amazon has once again selected Doncaster as a key location for its expansion plans and that the iPort Academy will play a critical role in getting the vacancies filled by local residents.

“Business Doncaster has supported Amazon throughout the 10 years they have been located here and we look forward to seeing the new developments coming to fruition later this year.

“This announcement is tremendous news for the Doncaster economy and will benefit residents right across our borough. We are committed to delivering jobs and growth.”

Amazon also announced it will invest £10m over three years to train to up to 5,000 employees in new skills and support the Government’s investment programme.

The 10,000 extra jobs will include roles at the company’s corporate offices, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and operations network.

Corporate roles will be available in offices in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Cambridge across a wide range of fields including fashion, digital marketing, engineering, video production, software development, cloud computing, AI and machine learning, and more.

In operations, Amazon will open four new fulfilment centres across the UK, as well as the parcel receive facility in Doncaster.

And it will continue to expand its delivery station network, creating thousands of additional roles on teams including engineering, HR and IT, health and safety, finance, and those that pick, pack and ship customer orders.

Business Secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, said: “Amazon’s announcement today is fantastic news and a huge vote of confidence in the British economy, helping us deliver on our commitment to level up across the UK with a whopping 10,000 new permanent jobs.

“As we build back better from the pandemic, this is a prime investment in our retail sector.

“Over the past year, Amazon’s workforce have pulled out all the stops to ensure consumers have had safe access to goods during this challenging time.

“Their latest investment will open up a wide range of opportunities for even more workers, helping to develop the skills needed to power tomorrow’s economy.”

Amazon’s UK country manager, John Boumphrey, added: “We’re creating thousands of good jobs across the UK from a diverse range of roles with excellent pay and benefits.

“We’re also delighted to be working with the British Chambers of Commerce on a pioneering approach to our Career Choice programme to provide the training, and skilled workers, needed to boost local economies right across the country.

“We’re proud of the front-line roles we offer across Amazon, and we also know they will be a stepping stone for some in their career journey.”