Amazon plans to hire more than 300,000 seasonal workers across its U.S. operations this holiday season, the company announced Tuesday, Oct. 20.

The hiring target is a 20% increase over last year's 250,000 seasonal workers and the company's largest holiday hiring plan on record, according to GeekWire, as cited by Retail Systems. In Bellevue, where Amazon employs roughly 14,300 people downtown and has said it expects to eventually reach 25,000, the roles span fulfillment centers, delivery stations and other operations facilities.

Seasonal employees who work at least 30 hours per week will gain healthcare coverage starting Jan. 1, 2027. Plans start at $5 a week with $5 copays, according to Amazon.

Workers hired before that date who remain in qualifying roles become eligible when the benefit takes effect. Those hired on or after Jan. 1 get coverage on their first day.

Previously, seasonal employees had to wait 90 days for healthcare coverage, which often meant holiday hires never qualified before their contracts ended, GeekWire reported.

J. Ofori Agboka, Amazon's vice president of people experience and technology, said the company was hiring across its core operations network nationwide. He said the healthcare expansion was meant to make coverage more affordable for employees and their families.

Seasonal roles pay an average of $20 an hour. Full-time operations employees start at a minimum of $20 an hour, with average hourly pay reaching nearly $24. Amazon said total compensation for full-time workers exceeds $32 an hour when benefits are included.

Layoffs and hiring at the same time

The hiring push arrives weeks after Amazon cut jobs closer to home. A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filing posted Aug. 31 showed 121 permanent layoffs at locations in Bellevue, Seattle and Sumner, with separations beginning Oct. 1, according to Downtown Bellevue Network.

Those cuts were part of a broader pattern. Amazon has announced more than 4,600 Washington reductions since fall 2025, including 626 in Bellevue, Downtown Bellevue Network reported. Nationally, the company has cut roughly 30,000 corporate jobs over the past year.

The corporate reductions have targeted management and office roles. The seasonal hiring is for warehouse-level operations.

Union pushback

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) responded the same day. Stuart Appelbaum, the union's president, called the announcement "nothing but a transparent attempt to gloss over the harsh realities on the warehouse floor," as reported by Lynnwood Times.

Amazon's announcement did not address injury rates, turnover or union organizing, Lynnwood Times reported. The company has previously said it invests in safety and that its pay and benefits are competitive.

New job postings will appear weekly from October through December at amazon.com/localjobs.