SEATTLE — Amazon announced plans to create 3,500 new corporate and tech jobs at its Canadian Tech Hubs in Vancouver and Toronto. The new roles will support existing teams across Amazon, including AWS, Alexa, Amazon Advertising, and Retail and Operations Technology.
The jobs created as part of the announcement will include software development engineers, user experience designers, speech scientists working to make Alexa smarter, cloud computing solutions architects, sales and marketing executives, and more.
“Amazon’s investment has tangible benefits for the broader economy and community – from the people we employ, to the small businesses we empower, to the charities we support, to the academic opportunities we fund. We’re proud to reaffirm our commitment to Canadian cities at this critical time,” said Jesse Dougherty, Amazon VP and Vancouver Site Lead.
Three thousand of the new jobs will be in Vancouver, where Amazon will expand its footprint at The Post by more than 680,000 square feet. The company will lease 18 floors in the building’s North Tower and 17 floors in its South Tower, as the sole corporate tenant. Property developer and manager, QuadReal, is overseeing construction to achieve LEED Gold Certification while preserving the building’s existing historic façade. Development is currently on track for completion by 2023 (images are available here). In Toronto, Amazon will lease 130,000 square feet of space at a new office tower on York Street, adding five floors to accommodate the creation of 500 new jobs.
Since 2010, Amazon has invested more than $11 billion in Canada, including infrastructure (such as fulfillment centers, delivery stations, and corporate offices) and compensation. These investments have contributed an additional $9 billion to the Canadian economy and have helped create 67,000 jobs on top of those that the company directly employs in industries including construction, logistics, and professional services*.
“The City of Vancouver is so excited to see Amazon creating an additional 3,000 well-paying jobs for people who want to work and live in our city,” said Kennedy Stewart, Mayor of Vancouver. “The fact that Amazon is doubling-down on our local economy highlights the strength of our tech sector and shows that Vancouver is where companies want to establish themselves and grow.”
John Tory, Mayor of Toronto, stated: “Today’s announcement by Amazon is good news for Toronto and a sign of continued confidence in our city and our tech sector. I want to thank Amazon for locating 500 new jobs at their Canadian Tech Hub in Toronto. We are committed to doing everything we can as a city government to help businesses of all sizes thrive in our city.”