Equity, diversity, inclusion, safety and training are paving the way towards our goal of becoming the world’s best employer. In Italy, by the end of the year, we expect to reach around 19,000 permanent employees, 1,000 more than announced last year, distributed across 60 sites throughout the country.
An inclusive work environment
At Amazon, diversity and inclusion guide our business decisions. In Italy, our employees represent over 100 nationalities, with an average age of 34, and in our corporate offices, 53% of employees are women - 35% of which work in logistics – a higher percentage than the national average.
We have also launched initiatives for the employment of people with disabilities, such as a project with the Italian National Agency for the Deaf, through which we’ve employed 140 deaf people at our Italian logistics sites. In 2023, we were recognised by the UNHCR for promoting the employment of refugees, and we were also awarded the Gender Equality Certification for all business lines from Bureau Veritas Italia.
Our commitment to the safety of our employees
We highly prioritise the safety of our employees. We do this by purchasing new personal protective equipment, putting on training courses, and with 24/7 health surveillance at all sites nationwide, for which we invested €8.7 million in 2023 alone. With the aim of continuously improving our work environment, technology also plays a key role: we’ve introduced innovations to support employees that allow us to make activities safer, reducing workload and repetitive tasks that can cause injuries.
Training and development opportunities for our talent
We don't just create jobs in Italy, we also invest in the professional development of our Italian employees. For example, our Career Choice programme, launched in 2014, can cover up to €8,000 in tuition fees for four consecutive years in nationally recognised courses in 11 Italian schools and around Europe. Over 3,000 Amazonians in Italy have taken part in the programme, acquiring new skills and certifications.
Having participated in Career Choice, many have embarked on new career paths, while others have taken on roles of greater responsibility within the company. In 2023, one out of ten eligible employees in Italy participated, with the opportunity to choose from nearly 20 programmes including the new "cyber security specialist" and "network security specialist" courses for 2024. This year, for the tenth anniversary of Career Choice in Europe, we allocated €40 million to further expanding our training offers with over 25 new career paths - providing thousands of employees with the skills required for the current and future job market.
Through continuous investments aimed at innovating on behalf of our customers, we actively contribute to Italy’s economic development, offering job opportunities to people with varying levels of education, skills, and experiences.
Recognised among the leading creators of stable and well-paid jobs in Italy, we are very proud to be in the top ten of the Diversity Brand Index 2024 and to have obtained the Top Employer 2024 certification in Europe for the fourth consecutive year.
