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Amazon seeks to hire 33,000 people at free virtual career fair

Amazon Prime boxes loaded on a cart for delivery in New York on October 10, 2018. (AP / Mark Lennihan)

(NEXSTAR) — In the latest sign that Amazon is growing while other companies are shrinking, the company said Wednesday that it is seeking to hire 33,000 people for corporate and tech roles in the next few months.

“COVID-19 continues to affect millions of people across the country, and people are eager for the opportunity to get back to work,” Beth Galetti, Amazon’s senior vice president of human resources, said in a statement. “We’ve created more jobs in the U.S. over the past decade than any other company – and we are continuing to hire people from all backgrounds and at all skill levels.”

It’s the most job openings the Seattle-based online retailing giant has had at once. The company said these jobs are separate from the typical hiring increase for warehouse workers it does ahead of the holidays.

To fill the positions, Amazon said it will hold a free online career fair — 2020 Career Day — on Sept. 16 to collect resumes and allow people to talk to a recruiter. The company said 1,000 recruiters and HR professionals will provide 20,000 one-on-one career coaching sessions for job seekers.

Participants not interested in an Amazon job can get resume help, the company said. 

“With many people left unemployed by the economic impact of COVID-19 and searching for new jobs, Career Day is designed to support all job seekers, regardless of their level of experience, professional field, or background – or whether they are looking for a job at Amazon or another company,” the company said.

At an in-person career fair last year, about 17,000 people showed up to events in six U.S. cities. Amazon said it received more than 200,000 applications for 30,000 jobs. The company currently has more than 875,000 employees worldwide.

To participate in this year’s event, job seekers should register at amazon.jobs/careerday and schedule an appointment with an Amazon recruiter.