For more than 20 years, I have spent my career helping communities unlock their economic potential. When I came to Amazon seven years ago, the opportunity to think big and do this work while helping us deliver to our customers really excited me. My key role in economic development is to explain to communities and their leaders how Amazon’s investments can benefit communities and their leaders by creating additional economic vibrancy and creating new opportunities for everyone who lives there. We work closely with the communities in which we invest to understand their needs, from infrastructure that helps create new opportunities to talent attraction and workforce development programs.
Last year, the Progressive Policy Institute was named America’s No. 1 Investment Hero, Amazon is recognized as a primary investor in the US economy. We worked with Keystone Strategy’s external consultants and internal economists to break down our economic impact of Amazon’s investments in the US over the past 12 years. Here’s what we found:
1. Since 2010, Amazon has contributed more than $880 billion to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP).
In 2022 alone, we will have invested more than $240 billion directly in the U.S. These investments, including infrastructure and worker compensation, have helped expand local economies and supported an additional 2 million indirect jobs in communities across the country, in sectors such as construction, health care, and retail. , and professional services. Learn more by visiting us US investment map.
2. With nearly 1 million American employees, Amazon is the second-largest private company in the United States—and the nation’s largest job creator.
We are committed to creating good jobs at more than twice the federal minimum wage, in customer fulfillment and transportation roles at more than $20.50 an hour, and Provides great benefits to employees, including healthcare and 401(k) access, and a variety of company-sponsored skills opportunities—including pre-paid college education for our logistics employees. Over the past decade, no other private company has created more jobs than Amazon.
3. Almost half of the people Amazon hires for our logistics jobs were previously unemployed.
We pride ourselves on creating job opportunities across the country for people of all skill and experience levels. Using our survey of new hires, Economists found that 47% of employees in our fulfillment and operations network were previously unemployed, creating opportunities for people at every stage of their career path.
4. Two out of every five American jobs Amazon creates are in small-town America.
Using U.S. Census data, along with localized hiring statistics, economists found that more than 40% of all jobs created by Amazon over the past five years were created in small cities. Whether it’s a fulfillment center, delivery station, air hub or retail store, every job we create is an example of Amazon’s economic engine in action.
5. Communities where Amazon invests see an average increase of 900 local retail jobs.
Economists looked As for the number of jobs created in the counties Amazon invests in, an average of 900 new jobs were created in retail following our arrival, on top of the direct jobs we brought to town. When we open a fulfillment center to process customer orders, we create an average of 3,000 local jobs, providing a stable income for thousands of families in the area. Learn more How Amazon creates opportunities for nearby businesses and creates even more jobs In the communities where we operate.
6. More than 100,000 US Amazon employees have expanded their careers, job opportunities and earning potential through Amazon Career Choice, a program that creates pathways to career success through education and learning new skills.
Career choice Participants in the United States can attend their classes at one of more than 400 educational partners, including community colleges, local and national colleges, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and other skills training providers.
7. 500,000 small and medium businesses sell on Amazon, supporting 1.5 million additional jobs nationwide.
More than 60% of Amazon’s US store sales come from independent sellers, most of which are small and medium-sized businesses. Check out ours Small Business Empowerment Report Learn more about how our investments allow these small businesses to reach and reach more customers across the country and around the world.