Amazon to create 5,000 jobs in UK

Amazon is set to increase its commitment to Britain this year after announcing that it will create 5,000 new jobs in a hiring spree that will take its UK headcount to around 24,000.

The total includes the 2,000 new jobs it previously announced at new warehouses that are opening in Tilbury, Essex and Doncaster.

In addition, Amazon is opening a third new "fulfilment centre" in Daventry, Northamptonshire, and adding a range of roles in technology and administration.

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Doug Gurr, UK country manager for Amazon, told Sky News: "We are hiring for all types of roles from flight test engineers, software engineers and corporate managers in our development centres and head office, to operations managers, supervisors, engineers, service technicians, HR roles and order fulfilment roles in our fulfilment centres."

Sky says the announcement provides further evidence that technology firms are "unfazed by the prospect of Brexit" after both Google and Facebook set out expansion plans.

The BBC says that Amazon's extra warehouse space reflects both rapid growth and a drive to increase delivery speeds, including same-day deliveries to Prime subscribers.

"It will also handle deliveries for third-party retailers, who sell through Amazon's website and use Amazon for deliveries. Growth in those third-party sellers has been particularly rapid."

One area of growth is fashion, with rumours that an expansion in clothing sales could prompt the online retailer to launch its own label.

This would mimic its move into the grocery sector, both through its own Amazon Fresh brand and a tie-up with Morrisons for Amazon Prime customers.