Fortune announced its 2024 list of the World’s Most Admired companies, and this year Amazon ranked third—its eighth consecutive year in the top three. The annual ranking is determined by a survey of top executives and analysts, and companies are evaluated based on nine criteria, including the quality of their management, innovation in products and services, and commitments to social responsibility.
Amazon teams work to support and deliver for our customers, our employees, and the communities we serve throughout the past year. Here are just a few examples from 2023:
We made our largest ever annual investment in U.S. hourly wages and hired 250,000 employees for the holiday season
As the world’s largest job creator, Amazon invested $1.3 billion last year toward pay increases for customer fulfillment and operations employees, bringing the average pay for those roles to over $20.50 per hour (a more than 50% increase over five years). Learn more.
We used artificial intelligence (AI) to evolve and improve upon fulfillment processes and shopping experiences
With AI, machine learning (ML), and computer vision, Amazon is developing state-of-the-art robotic technologies to help employees take on repetitive tasks and some of the heavy lifting. This robotic assistance makes work easier and safer, giving employees more time to do what they do best—find new ways to delight customers. Learn more.
Meanwhile, generative AI and other technologies behind Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology are making checkout lines a thing of the past. Today, Just Walk Out technology is available at more than 70 Amazon-owned stores, and at more than 85 third-party locations across the U.S., UK, and Australia, including sports stadiums, airports, grocery stores, convenience stores, and college campuses. Learn more.
We launched new opportunities to provide 300,000 employees with access to education and skills training programs through 2025
Through our Upskilling 2025 pledge, Amazon creates pathways to careers in areas that will continue growing in years to come. Our company-funded training programs, such as AWS Intelligence Initiative and Career Choice, help employees learn critical skills to move into in-demand, higher-paying technical or non-technical roles within Amazon and beyond. Learn more.
We committed to hiring 5,000 refugees in Europe over the next three years
This commitment expands on our previous pledge to hire at least 5,000 refugees in the U.S. by the end of 2024. Amazon announced our commitment during The Tent European Business Summit, which brought together dozens of companies to discuss the refugee crisis in Europe and highlight the role companies play in helping refugees successfully integrate in their new communities. Learn more.
We expanded our benefits to help employees achieve personal and professional success
14 new benefits under Amazon’s FamilyFlex program aim to provide more flexibility in employees’ lives and the tools they need to manage unexpected financial- or health-related events. These benefits include free financial counseling, in-house cancer case management, and new temporary schedule adjustments for hourly frontline employees. Learn more.
We leveraged our unique capabilities and resources to invest in disaster relief, affordable housing initiatives, and more
In response to the Maui wildfires, for example, Disaster Relief by Amazon donated needed supplies and offered financial support to organizations that are in the best position to offer immediate assistance. AWS also activated its Disaster Response team to help set up temporary communications infrastructure to provide internet and phone connectivity across impacted sites. Learn more.
In affordable housing, Amazon launched a new pilot initiative in partnership with the National Housing Trust (NHT) to help individuals and families from underserved communities become homeowners in Washington state’s Puget Sound; Arlington, Virginia; and Nashville, Tennessee. Amazon is investing $40 million to help moderate-income individuals and families purchase homes as a pathway for building generational wealth. Learn more.
Those are just a few examples from the past year, and we’re excited about what’s ahead for 2024. You can stay updated on the most important news and stories about Amazon by visiting our website or subscribing to the Amazon News newsletter.
This is all possible thanks to the hard work and dedication of millions of our teammates and partners around the world, and we want to thank them all for delivering for each other, our communities, and our customers every day.
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