Online retail giant set to create more than 2,500 permanent jobs in the UK this year in order to meet increasing customer demand and an ongoing expansion of products and services.

The new additions will grow Amazon’s total permanent workforce in the UK to 27,500 by the end of the year and Amazon says it is hiring “up and down the country”, filling hundreds of positions at its head office, as well as roles in research and development, operations and its Amazon Web Services (AWS) department. AWS and the company’s UK development centres are set to add over 650 jobs alone this year, with a view that Amazon will have over 6,500 corporate, research and development and AWS roles in the UK by the end of 2018.

The recruitment drive, says Amazon, jobs reflect “growing investments in British research and development, increasing customer demand, and continued expansion of products and services”. The company has invested over £9.3 billion in its UK operations since 2010.

There are roles available for people with all levels of experience, education and skills, from software developers, engineers and technicians, to those seeking entry-level positions and on-the-job training. 

Amazon is hiring for roles in its head office and fashion photography studio in London, development centres in Cambridge, Edinburgh and London, its customer service centre in Edinburgh, within AWS, as well as in its dozens of delivery stations across the country and 16 fulfilment centres, including at new sites in Coventry and Bolton. The expansion of the company’s operations network helps support tens of thousands of independent businesses of all sizes, with half of all units stocked in Amazon’s UK fulfilment centres held on behalf of sellers using Fulfilment by Amazon.

The company’s Cambridge development centre opened a new building last year, focusing on Alexa, machine learning and Prime Air -  the drone-based delivery system it is currently developing.

Amazon UK Country Manager Doug Gurr said: “The UK is a fantastic place to do business, so we are delighted to continue our investment in the British economy and provide quality, permanent roles for people the length and breadth of the country. Whether you are looking for an entry-level role or in highly-specialised fields such as speech science or machine learning, we are proud to be expanding our UK workforce so we can further improve our products and services like AmazonFresh, Prime Video and Amazon Alexa.”

Chancellor, the Rt Hon. Philip Hammond MP, said: “Innovative companies, such as Amazon, will be at the forefront of our new economy. And I welcome the news that they are creating 2,500 permanent, new jobs across the country. It’s a clear vote of confidence in our workforce and our economy.”