Amazon plans to hire 100,000 over the next 18 months

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon plans to hire 100,000 full time workers over the next 18 months, highlighting its ambitious expansion plans — and the sharp contrast the e-commerce powerhouse strikes against traditional brick-and-mortar retailers, many of which are cutting jobs and closing stores.

The new hires will largely support new Amazon fulfillment centers in states such as Texas and California, expanded delivery capabilities and its money-minting Amazon Web Services cloud computing business.

Sean Spicer, the incoming White House press secretary, noted in a call with reporters on Thursday that Amazon made the announcement after the meeting, when Trump urged tech leaders to keep jobs in the U.S.

Baird's Sebastian downplayed the politics factor, noting only that the online retailer may have deployed some "political capital" in the timing and details of its announcement.

[...] we expect the pace of hiring internationally to accelerate as well.