Rising Amazon demand brings 14,000 seasonal jobs to Tennessee
Rising Amazon demand brings 14,000 seasonal jobs to Tennessee
Hadley Hitson, Nashville TennesseanTue, October 20, 2026 at 6:57 PM UTC
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Amazon is adding 14,000 jobs to its Tennessee workforce for the holiday busy season.
It's officially the holiday season, according to ecommerce giant Amazon. The Seattle-based company announced Oct. 20 that it is in the midst of hiring 300,000 seasonal employees across the U.S. for the 2026 holidays, including 14,000 employees in Tennessee.
Amazon's busiest season every year begins in October and lasts through January. This year, the company said it is hiring 55% more seasonal employees across Tennessee than it did in 2025, and it also increased hourly pay from $19 to $20 per hour.
"It's not down to any single factor," Amazon spokesperson Branden Baribeau said. "Our hiring reflects a mix of things, including the growth of our operations network with new sites coming online across the country, our planning for the holiday season, and the natural staffing needs of our busiest time of year. Bringing on new teammates is how we deliver for customers during the holidays, and, this year, we're pairing that with continued investment in pay and benefits for the people who make it possible."
While seasonal employment with Amazon doesn't have a set start and end date, roles typically last between one to six months.
Amazon has invested around $30 billion in the state since 2010, including in infrastructure and employee compensation, a 2026 company report states.
The company's investment ramped up in 2018 when the state of Tennessee and Metro Nashville granted Amazon a $102 million incentives package in exchange for building its Operations Center of Excellence downtown.
Amazon said it invested $230 million and created 5,000 jobs paying an average of $150,000 per year each. The deal was the single largest jobs commitment that a company had ever made in Tennessee, until Oracle came along in 2021.
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Now, Amazon has 26 fulfillment centers and delivery stations across the state and two office towers in the downtown Nashville Yards development, among other developments in progress. The company reported a total of 28,000 full- and part-time employees in the state at the start of 2026, and with the seasonal employees added, Amazon will employ around 42,000 employees in Tennessee.
"Seasonal roles give people the opportunity to earn, work flexible schedules, and be part of the team during our busiest time of year," Amazon Vice President J. Ofori Agboka said in a statement. "For some, it’s a job for the season. For others, it becomes the start of a longer career at Amazon."
The company will also extend its healthcare benefits policy to seasonal employees working 30-plus weekly hours starting Jan. 1, 2027. That means any eligible seasonal employees hired through the end of the year will gain access to benefits then, and eligible seasonal employees hired in 2027 will receive benefits starting on their first day of employment.
Plan options start at $5 a week with $5 copays.
New jobs will be posted weekly through the end of the year. Those interested in applying can visit Amazon's website for online applications or text NEWJOB to 31432.
Hadley Hitson covers business news for The Tennessean. She can be reached at hhitson@gannett.com. To support her work, subscribe to The Tennessean.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Rising Amazon demand brings 14,000 seasonal jobs to Tennessee
Source: “AOL Money”
