AROUND 2,000 seasonal jobs will be created in the North-East by online international retailer Amazon.

The firm, which recently opened its Darlington warehouse and is set to open its Durham warehouse later this year, announced the roles today.

It revealed the jobs as it said it was creating more than 20,000 seasonal positions across the UK ahead of the festive period. 

Online, it is already advertising for temporary 'Fulfilment Associates' in Darlington, with pay starting at £9.50 per hour and overtime promising up to £19 per hour.

The temporary contract, which will begin in coming weeks, appears to have an end date of January 9, 2021.

The Northern Echo: Picture: SARAH CALDECOTTPicture: SARAH CALDECOTT

It is understood that Amazon is in the process of recruiting for further temporary roles, including in Durham, with around 2,000 North-East seasonal jobs expected to be created.

This comes as Amazon said it was creating a further 7,000 permanent roles across the UK with hundreds expected in the North-East. 

So far, 3,000 permanent jobs have this year been created across the UK network of Fulfilment Centres.

Stefano Perego, Amazon’s Vice President of European Customer Fulfilment, said: “We’re proud to be creating 10,000 new permanent roles across our UK network of fulfilment centres, sort centres and delivery stations offering competitive wages and comprehensive benefits starting on day one.

"Our people have played a critical role in serving customers in these unprecedented times and the new roles will help us continue to meet customer demand and support small and medium sized businesses selling on Amazon.

The Northern Echo: Amazon in Durham Picture: SARAH CALDECOTTAmazon in Durham Picture: SARAH CALDECOTT

“The new state-of-the-art robotics fulfilment centres in the North East and the Midlands, as well as the thousands of additional roles at sites across the country, underline our commitment to the people and communities in which we operate. We are employing thousands of talented individuals in a diverse range of good jobs from operations managers and tech professionals through to people to handle customer orders.”

He added: “We prepare year-round for the festive season and we’re also excited to have over 20,000 seasonal positions available this year to help delight our customers.

"We look forward to welcoming back seasonal workers who return year-after-year to work at Amazon and welcome new faces to the seasonal team.”

The Northern Echo first reported that the retailer was moving into a 550,000sq ft site, near Bowburn, bringing along 1,000 new permanent jobs.

At the time, Councillor Simon Henig, leader of Durham County Council, welcomed the promise of new jobs.

Cllr Henig said: "This is particularly important at the moment, when our focus is on ensuring the local and regional economy is able to recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We have carried out significant infrastructure improvements at Integra 61 and worked hard to promote its many benefits to potential investors. It is very gratifying that this effort is now paying off.”

But today, Business Secretary, Alok Sharma said: “While this has been a challenging time for many businesses, it is hugely encouraging to see Amazon creating 10,000 jobs in the UK this year.

“This is not only great news for those looking for a new job, but also a clear vote of confidence in the UK economy as we build back better from the pandemic.

"The government remains deeply committed to supporting retailers of all sizes and we continue to work closely with the industry as we embark on the road to economic recovery.” 

  • People interested in applying for both permanent and seasonal roles at Amazon should visit www.amazonjobs.co.uk