Amazon looking to hire 1,000 in San Antonio, Central Texas

Amazon is looking to hire full-time and part-time warehouse workers at its “sortation” center and Prime Now facility in San Antonio and at its distribution centers in Schertz and San Marcos. Amazon is looking to hire full-time and part-time warehouse workers at its “sortation” center and Prime Now facility in San Antonio and at its distribution centers in Schertz and San Marcos. Photo: Express-News File Photo Photo: Express-News File Photo Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close Amazon looking to hire 1,000 in San Antonio, Central Texas 1 / 33 Back to Gallery

Amazon wants to hire more than 1,000 workers in San Antonio and Central Texas as it adds more than 50,000 new employees to staff its distribution centers nationwide.

The Seattle-based e-commerce giant is looking to hire full-time and part-time warehouse workers at its “sortation” center and Prime Now facility in San Antonio and at its distribution centers in Schertz and San Marcos, company spokeswoman Ashley Robinson said in an email.

Hourly wages vary by position, Robinson said, but employees will receive a benefits package including health and disability insurance, retirement savings plans and company stock. Wages start at $12 an hour for a full-time warehouse associate at the company’s Schertz facility, according to a post on the job listing site Indeed.

Employees may also use the company’s Career Choice program, which covers 95 percent of tuition costs for courses “related to in-demand fields, regardless of relevancy of the skills to jobs at Amazon,” Robinson said. Prospective employees can apply on the company’s website.

Amazon’s profit took a nosedive this week as the company continued its aggressive push into more retail categories and expanded its distribution network during the second quarter. The company posted a profit of $197 million, or 40 cents a share, for the three month period ended June 30 — a 77 percent drop from the $857 million, or $1.78 a share, Amazon made during the same period in 2016.

RELATED: Fast food chain hires 700 workers, bakery adds drivers across San Antonio

But, Amazon reported a 25 percent jump in sales to $38 billion from $30.4 billion in the second quarter of 2016.

Amazon made waves in the grocery industry last month with its $13.7 billion bid for Whole Foods but stayed quiet about the acquisition, which still must clear regulatory hurdles, during an earnings call Thursday.

Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky said the retailer is exploring multiple options for grocery delivery including its AmazonFresh delivery service but said there is “no one solution” for the company. Olsavsky would not disclose Amazon’s strategy for Whole Foods.

"We really think it will be a big boost for us as we expand our grocery and consumables offering," Olsavsky said.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos briefly surpassed Bill Gates as the world’s richest person Thursday as Amazon shares hit more than $1,080 a share on high expectations for the company’s earnings. But the company’s shares opened at $1,012.14 a share after their earnings missed analysts’ expectations. CNBC estimates Bezos lost $6 billion overnight as a result.

Bezos was worth $89.3 billion when the market closed Friday while Gates’ net worth was estimated at $90.7 billion by Bloomberg News.

RELATED: 18 ways San Antonio residents want to improve the city

JFechter@express-news.net

Twitter: @JFreports