Amazon Bails On Promised Job Creation In Nashville With Hiring Freeze Announcement
Image Credit: aboutamazon.com
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
Amazon announced on Thursday that they would be placing a freeze on new hires for corporate positions within the company, noting a failure to hold up their end of a bargain made with the Metro Council.
Just a few years back, Amazon promised to create 5,000 new jobs for the Nashville area with an average salary of around $150,000. In exchange for bringing those jobs to the region, it was decided that the city would give the company $500 for each new position for seven years. Amazon would also receive approximately $21.7 million from the state.
An Amazon spokesperson claims that the company has made good on a start to keeping that promise, hiring over 2,500 employees for corporate and tech positions at Amazon Nashville, and that they remain committed to the city.
“We are going to keep watching the economy and our own business, and will adjust as makes sense, but our long-term intention and commitment to the communities where we have a presence remains unchanged,” the spokesperson said.
Amazon’s senior vice president of People Experience and Technology Beth Galetti also released a memo to all employees that was also published on the company’s blog.
Galetti says the hiring freeze had already been initiated in some corporate areas in recent weeks and was being expanded to other portions of the business. She notes that it is a freeze on “incremental hires.”
The freeze is being blamed on the “economy in an uncertain place and in light of how many people we have hired in the last few years.” The company hired in record numbers amidst the COVID-19 pandemic to keep up with a surge in online ordering.
It is unclear just how much money Amazon has received for the jobs they have created to date, but it is clear that the company has no plans to add the remaining promised jobs for Music City any time soon.
“We anticipate keeping this pause in place for the next few months, and will continue to monitor what we’re seeing in the economy and the business to adjust as we think makes sense,” she wrote.
Galetti did state that they would continue to hire replacements for vacated positions as needed.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
