Amazon has announced plans to hire 250,000 people across the United States for the 2025 holiday season. This hiring initiative matches last year's level and underscores the company's focus on competitive pay, benefits, and career growth opportunities.
According to a post by Amazon on October 13, 2025, the seasonal roles are available nationwide, including in rural areas. The company emphasized that these positions often lead to long-term employment, with many workers advancing into management and operations roles. This move positions Amazon's employment drive as one of the largest in the country during a period marked by cooling labor demand.
"The holidays are one of the most exciting times at Amazon," the company said, highlighting the influx of new team members joining its network during this period.
U.S. job openings fell to 7.18 million in July, marking a ten-month low as reported by Reuters using Labor Department data. The report indicated subdued hiring activity, slightly higher layoffs, and a decline in voluntary quits—a pattern economists say reflects weaker confidence among both employers and workers. This slowdown suggests businesses are pausing expansion plans amid softer retail spending and ongoing inflationary pressures.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell commented in October on the U.S. job market's "persistent weakness," citing slower hiring across key sectors. Powell noted that a government shutdown delayed several labor reports' release, obscuring the slowdown's scale. Fed officials continue to monitor wage growth, consumer confidence, and job creation trends to assess whether monetary policy adjustments may be necessary to stabilize employment conditions.
Major retailers such as Walmart, Target, and Macy’s have announced smaller holiday hiring plans for 2025 compared with previous years. According to Retail Dive, several companies are reducing temporary staffing due to expanded warehouse automation and tighter consumer budgets. Target’s seasonal workforce target fell below 100,000 for the first time since 2020; Walmart cited improved logistics efficiency and cross-trained staff as reasons for lower holiday hiring.
Amazon's Career Choice program is central to its long-term upskilling and retention strategy. Fortune reported that this initiative pre-pays tuition for frontline employees pursuing college degrees, high school diplomas, or professional certificates. Expanded in 2022, it now partners with hundreds of U.S. institutions and has supported over 180,000 participants worldwide since its launch.
Amazon.com Inc., headquartered in Seattle, Washington since its founding in 1994, operates globally across e-commerce, cloud computing through Amazon Web Services (AWS), streaming services, and AI-driven logistics solutions. Its retail operations include online marketplaces as well as grocery services and last-mile delivery solutions from more than 175 fulfillment centers worldwide.
