Hiring Spree: Amazon to Add 7,000 New Employees The internet retailer is expanding its fulfillment and customer service networks in an effort to offer more customers speedier delivery options.

By Benjamin Kabin • Jul 29, 2013

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Amazon announced plans today to hire thousands of workers across the U.S. to run its fulfillment and customer service networks as the company seeks to get goods to customers faster.

The hiring surge will create more than 5,000 new jobs in Arizona, California, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. It represents a 25 percent increase in fulfillment network workers, Amazon says.

In the last year, Amazon expanded its fulfillment network by building eight new facilities. In January, the company announced plans to build three more in Texas. The expansion is aimed at being able to offer more customers next-day, and in some cases, same day delivery.

Amazon says it will also hire 2,000 customer service workers for a combination of full-time, part-time and temporary jobs in Kentucky, North Dakota, Washington and West Virginia.

The big hiring announcement comes as U.S. President Barack Obama prepares to deliver a stump speech focused on job growth at one of the internet retailer's fulfillment centers in Chattanooga, Tenn. tomorrow.

According to SEC filings, Amazon currently employs almost 90,000 full- and part-time employees including 20,000 in its distribution plants.