Amazon plans to hire more than 300,000 workers for the 2026 holiday rush, with expanded healthcare access for seasonal staff

Amazon says it is creating more than 300,000 new jobs in the United States for the 2026 holiday season, expanding both compensation and benefits for seasonal, part-time, and full-time roles in its core operations.

In a workplace update posted Tuesday, the company said hiring will be focused on seasonal workers as well as part-time and full-time positions across its U.S. operations nationwide. Amazon also said the company will post new job opportunities weekly from October through December, directing applicants to sign up for job alerts through its local hiring portal.

The biggest operational change for seasonal employees begins on Jan. 1, 2027. Amazon said seasonal workers who work at least 30 hours per week will have access to healthcare coverage on their first day of work, a shift from eligibility rules that typically come after an onboarding period for many employer plans.

Amazon provided details on plan pricing and cost-sharing. It said plan options start at $5 per week, with $5 copays. For full-time operations employees, Amazon said starting pay will be at least $20 per hour, and average hourly pay will reach nearly $24. With benefits included, Amazon said average total compensation for full-time employees exceeds $32 per hour.

Seasonal employees, Amazon said, earn an average of $20 per hour and will have access to a range of benefits, along with the opportunity to transition into full-time roles. The company did not specify the exact number of openings allocated to each job category in the announcement, nor did it describe eligibility requirements for the benefit “range” beyond the 30-hours-per-week threshold for healthcare access.

Amazon’s holiday hiring push is a recurring feature of the retail and logistics cycle, reflecting how demand spikes around peak shopping periods. The added focus on pay and benefit access for part-time and seasonal roles can also be read as an effort to stabilize staffing during a period when companies compete for limited labor.

In the same broader workplace news update, Amazon also highlighted several additional consumer-facing initiatives scheduled around the holiday period, including the return of its Holiday Kids Gift Book with hundreds of toy and gift ideas, a new set of products related to Bee, and new devices and retail events. While these items are separate from staffing, they underscore how the company’s seasonal ramp ties together warehouse staffing, delivery readiness, and consumer promotions.

Still, details remain limited in one important area. Amazon did not provide a breakdown of how many healthcare plan options will be offered, how coverage changes for those who work fewer than 30 hours per week, or how it will handle employees’ benefit start dates during 2026 holidays versus after Jan. 1, 2027. The company also did not publish information on expected retention rates or how many seasonal employees historically convert to full-time roles.

For applicants and workers, the immediate next step is to monitor Amazon’s weekly postings from October through December and set up alerts through its hiring site. For business watchers, the key thing to watch is whether the expanded healthcare access for eligible seasonal workers becomes a broader template for future hiring periods, especially as labor availability and benefits costs continue to influence retail and logistics operations.