Amazon announced more than 100,000 new employees have started working across its operations network, meeting the company’s original 100,000 jobs pledge. As demand continues to surge from people relying on Amazon’s services during this unprecedented time, particularly those who are most vulnerable to being out in public, the company announced it is adding 75,000 additional new roles across the country.

During the past four weeks, more than 1,500 new employees were hired in Maryland, joining more than 7,000 full-time employees already working in Amazon facilities across the state. The new hires in Maryland fill a range of roles, including picking, packing and shipping customer orders and delivering packages from delivery stations to meet the needs of the COVID-19 demand surge.

Many were impacted by layoffs related to COVID-19 and come from a variety of fields and life situations, including restaurant cooks, bartenders and servers, flight attendants, teachers, business owners, personal trainers, valet drivers, rideshare drivers, retirees, part-time workers whose jobs are now on hold, and people “who just wanted to help out.”

Interested candidates can apply at www.amazon.com/jobsnow. Jobs are available on a rolling basis and fill up quickly. We encourage people to sign up for text alerts for regular updates. US residents can text AMAZON to 77088 to receive automated messages about job openings near them. Onboarding includes several COVD-19 accommodations, including virtual new hire orientation sessions, providing training and information through online sessions.

The roles start with minimum pay of $17 per hour through the end of April, which is an increase of $2 per hour since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and come with company benefits on day one, for full-time and some part-time positions.