Amazon might be taking over a portion of Citigroup’s office space in Singapore as the latter looks to cut back on its office space following its expiring 10-year lease.
The e-commerce giant will reportedly be leasing three floors at Asia Square Tower 1 in the heart of CBD, which spans approximately 90,000 square feet.
Earlier this month, Amazon announced that it would be going on another hiring spree in the US, with plans to onboard over 100,000 employees to support the surge in demand for online shopping amidst COVID-19.
The company is opening over 33,000 corporate and tech roles. Employees hired for these positions will receive an average pay of US$ 150,000, including salary, stock-based compensation and benefits.
Currently, Amazon is hiring for over 200 jobs based in Singapore, according to its careers page. These roles range from sales, advertising and account management, to business and merchant development, and solutions architects.
According to Business Times and The Straits Times, these sources said that these plans are not made public yet, adding that staff will be moving into the new office spaces in early 2021.
Amazon Under Scrutiny For Unethical Working Conditions
Amazon Singapore has a 4.3 star rating on Glassdoor, with 92 per cent approving of its billionaire founder Jeff Bezos and 87 per cent stating that they would recommend the firm to a friend.
However, the e-commerce giant has come under fire for a litany of unethical business practices over the past couple of years.
Last year, 600 workers at an Amazon warehouse signed and delivered a petition to call for better working conditions.
Earlier this year, hundreds of workers launched a virtual rally to stage a widely-publicised protest and employees from Amazon have allegedly been fired for speaking out against the company.
According to protestors, Amazon’s working environments are highly-stressful and dangerous.
A 2020 study from Reveal revealed that workers in Amazon’s warehouse and fulfilment centres reported over more than 14,000 serious injuries in 2019.
The article goes on to highlight that Amazon saw an average of 7.7 serious injuries per 100 employees, 33 per cent higher a rate of injuries than four years ago.
The rate is more than double industry standards, a troubling statistic given the widespread allegations against Amazon.
While Amazon has garnered controversy overseas, its Singapore branch has been quiet on the working conditions at the company internally.
Moreover, workers covered under Singapore’s Employment Act are protected by a number of laws, including entitlement to at least one rest day a week and a limit of 44 weekly working hours.
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