Amazon Getting Closer to Walmart on Number of Employees

Amazon could even overcome Walmart in that huge record: the world’s largest employer of labour as it ramps up employee headcounts over the next two years. Largely, as Amazon builds up its logistics, we are learning quickly that ecommerce can indeed power a new labour force. This could be a good outcome as many had postulated that the rise of ecommerce could bring doom in the labour force.

As the pandemic accelerates the push to online shopping, Amazon is now employing more than 1.2 million people around the world, The New York Times reports. The figure reflects a jump of 50% from a year ago, after the e-commerce giant added some 427,300 staff in the first 10 months of 2020 — and an average of 2,800 new workers a day since July. Most are warehouse workers, with contractors who work as delivery drivers not included in the figures. If this rate continues, it’s on course to surpass Walmart as the world’s biggest private employer within two years, notes the Times.

But as that happens, we are learning that working from home means more work for employees as they log in more hours per day. Also, it is not just workers which are affected, some companies will see a redesign once the world goes through the pandemic phase, and hopefully many things return back to the old stable state. Companies like Zoom and Peloton which have benefitted from the lockdowns or WFH would have to retest the old world and examine how they could fit.

Peloton and Zoom have become household brand names during the pandemic, but vaccine developments are slowing down their growth and raising questions about the companies’ long-term future. CNBC reports both “could still have room to run,” since they quickly became compelling brands that people have been able to rely on during the crisis. The Motley Fool contributor Matt Frankel is particularly confident about Peloton’s future, saying the fitness bike company’s subscription model acts as a “safety net” after the pandemic.

Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA (Feb 10 - May 3, 2025), and join Prof Ndubuisi Ekekwe and our global faculty; click here.