Amazon is racing to hire another 75,000 warehouse workers as it continues to struggle with an enormous surge in delivery orders.

The online shopping giant said it had completed its push for 100,000 more workers in just four weeks and now needed to keep up the hiring blitz to manage the demand.

The pandemic has severely stretched Amazon’s enormous logistics network, driving normally rapid delivery times into days or weeks and diminishing stocks less important items.

Yet the company, which has framed this work as an “essential service... delivering critical supplies”, continues to suffer protests and walk-outs from warehouses workers over safety issues and sick pay.

It said: “We know many people have been economically impacted as jobs in areas like hospitality, restaurants, and travel are lost or furloughed as part of this crisis, and we welcome anyone out of work to join us at Amazon until things return to normal and their past employer is able to bring them back.