NEW YORK -- Christmas is coming and Amazon plans to add 120,000 seasonal workers in an effort to meet an expected spike in demand.
The seasonal positions will be created at warehouses and customer service sites in 27 states. The move marks a 20 percent increase from the 100,000 seasonal hires a year ago.
The move comes as online shopping growth continues to eclipse shopping at stores. The National Retail Federation, based in Washington, D.C., is forecasting Christmas sales for the November and December period to rise 3.6 percent to $655.8 billion, much better than the 3 percent growth seen in the year-ago period. Online shopping is expected to rise 7 to 10 percent over last year to as much as $117 billion.
Ever since capacity problems in 2013 caused some people to get packages after Christmas, Amazon has been pouring money into its distribution centers and logistics chain, opening new distribution centers and leasing its own planes and trucks to speed up delivery.