Amazon to Add 3,000 Jobs in South Africa

(Bloomberg) --

Amazon.com Inc. plans to add 3,000 jobs in South Africa, giving a boost to a country struggling with unemployment amid measures to contain the coronavirus.

The Seattle-based internet giant will hire both permanent and seasonal staff ranging from customer-service positions to technical experts, according to a statement on Thursday. The expansion will increase Amazon’s workforce in the country to 7,000.

South Africa’s unemployment rate stood at 29% even before Covid-19 began to spread in March, and the number of people out of work is expected to have climbed further after most businesses were forced to shut down as part of a government-imposed lockdown.

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