Amazon will deliver jobs, along with packages, during the holidays.

The online retail giant said Tuesday it will hire more than 5,685 people in Colorado, including about 1,290 in Colorado Springs, as part of a plan to add 250,000 workers nationwide for the upcoming holiday shopping season.

Amazon will add employees in full-, part-time and seasonal positions in a variety of roles that include packing, picking, sorting and shipping, according to a news release. The company says it will consider job candidates from all backgrounds and experience levels, and those hired will have the opportunity to transition to full-time and permanent jobs.

The 250,000 workers to be hired for the holiday shopping season will be 67% more than the number of people Amazon hired for the past two years, as the retailer scrambles to expand nextday delivery for shoppers.

Job seekers can go to am-azon.com/apply for information about open positions. Amazon will hold hiring events Friday around the country, though none are scheduled in Colorado, the

company’s website shows.

New seasonal workers hired to pick, sort, pack and ship orders will get sign-on bonuses of $1,000 to $3,000 in select locations, compared with associates who received $3,000 bonuses in 2022 and 2021 in some locations, Amazon said.

Customer fulfillment and transportation employees can earn an average of more than $20.50 an hour, with pay rates ranging from $17 to $28 per hour depending on position and location, according to Amazon. That compares with the $19 hourly wage workers were offered last year.

An Amazon spokeswoman said via email that she didn’t have pay rates available for Colorado Springs, where the company has a 3.5 million-square-foot fulfillment center, a sorting center, two delivery stations and a third delivery station on the way.

The spokeswoman also didn’t respond to a question about how many Amazon employees work in Colorado Springs; statewide, the company employs 19,000.

“The holiday season is always a special time at Amazon and we’re excited to hire 250,000 additional people this year to help serve customers across the country,” John Felton, Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations, said in the news release.

“Whether someone is looking for a short-term way to make extra money, or is hoping to take their first step toward a fulfilling and rewarding career at Amazon, there’s a role available for them.”

Fulfillment or transportation employees who start with Amazon today will see a 13% pay hike over the next three years and likely more, along with pre-paid college tuition and health care benefits on their first day, Felton said. The Seattle-based e-retailer said it will invest $1.3 billion for pay increases for fulfillment and transportation workers this year.

Amazon’s boost in hiring comes after it added 50 new fulfillment centers, delivery stations and same-day delivery in the United States, and as it prepares for its expanded fall Prime Event, scheduled for Oct. 10-11.

During Amazon’s Prime Event, the e-commerce giant is encouraging its merchants to offer discounts, a strategy that could prompt some frugal shoppers to open their wallets and splurge on gifts well ahead of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping days.

Amazon this year also laid off 27,000 staffers, or about 9% of its workforce, in its advertising, cloud computing and human resources departments following a string of tech layoffs.

Amazon’s hiring plans contrast with other U.S. retailers, who say they will hire fewer people in stores and warehouses this year on expectations for reduced consumer spending in 2023. Forecasters expect holiday sales to come in at half of last year’s rate due to concerns about higher prices.

Seasonal hiring is expected to drop to its lowest level since 2008, according to researcher Challenger, Gray and Christmas, due to higher costs and weak consumer confidence.

Target on Tuesday said it would hire 100,000 employees for the holiday shopping season, flat year over year. Target also plans to begin offering discounts in October.

Macy’s said it would hire more than 38,000 full- and part-time workers for the upcoming holiday season, a decline from the previous year.

Retail giant Walmart has not yet announced holiday hiring plans. However, it hired 40,000 seasonal workers in 2022.