Amazon to raise pay for more than 5,00,000 workers

SAN FRANCISCO: Amazon will increase pay between 50 cents to $3 an hour for more than half a million workers on its fulfillment, delivery and sorting teams, the US tech giant announced on Wednesday.

The raises, which will take effect between May and June, come ahead of a federal hearing over a defeated unionization drive and after President Joe Biden singled out Amazon for avoiding federal income taxes.

The Seattle-based e-commerce empire has gone on a hiring spree during the pandemic, adding 500,000 people last year. It now employs around 1.3 million people globally.

Typically, the company reevaluates salaries every fall, ahead of the holiday shopping bonanza.