NEW YORK — Amazon officials said Monday, March 16 the company needs to hire 100,000 people across the U.S. to keep up with a crush of orders as the coronavirus spreads and keeps more people at home, shopping online.



Officials with the online retailer said they will also temporarily raise pay by $2 an hour through the end of April for hourly employees, who work at warehouses, delivery centers, and Whole Foods grocery stores. Hourly workers in the United Kingdom and other European countries will get a similar raise.



“We are seeing a significant increase in demand, which means our labor needs are unprecedented for this time of year,” said Dave Clark, who oversees Amazon’s warehouse and delivery network.



Amazon officials said over the weekend that a surge of orders put its operations under pressure. Company leaders warned shoppers that it could take longer than the usual two days to get packages, and they sold out of many household cleaning supplies.



Officials with the Seattle-based company said the openings are for a mix of full-time and part-time jobs and include roles such as delivery drivers and warehouse workers, who pack and ship orders for shoppers.