아이와 함께 성장하는 엄마 Judy 이야기

[기사 요약]
미국 최대 전자상거래 기업인 아마존은 직원 교육비 지원 계획을 발표했다. 아마존은 내년 1월부터 2025년까지 직원 4년제 대학비 전액 지원, 계획을 밝혔다. 또한, 아마존은 시간제 직원들의 고등학교 수료, 영어능력 향상 프로그램 등에 대한 비용도 부담할 방침이다. 이번 혜택은 대상은 아마존에서 90일 간 근무한 시급 직원이다. 또한 아마존 교육 지원을 받은 근로자가 교육 도중이나 수료 후 회사를 퇴사하더라도, 교육비 반환 의무는 없다. 이번 조치는 아마존의 열악한 노동 환경 역풍을 피하려는 고육지책으로 보인다. 언론 보도에 따르면, 최근 미국은 최악의 구인 난을 겪고 있다. 이러한 인력난을 해소하기 위해 오프라인 유통업체 월마트도 지난달부터 근로자 대학 교육비와 교재비 전액을 지원하고 있다.

[기사 전문]

Amazon Offers To Pay College Tuition for 750,000 US Staff

Amazon has offered to pay the college tuition of over 750,000 of its hourly employees in the US as a way to attract and retain more staff.
In a statement, the e-commerce giant said it would spend $1.2 billion between now and 2025 on education and training, starting in January. The money will be used to pay for undergraduate degrees, as well as high school diplomas, English language courses, and other skills programs.
Staff can use the scheme after working at Amazon for just 90 days, so long as they continue working full or part-time while taking their course.
All fees will be paid by Amazon before classes start and don't have to be paid back when the employee leaves the company. There is also no limit to how long employees will be able to continue to receive education funding, meaning they can use the scheme to get more than one qualification.
The move comes as Amazon experiences high front-line worker turnover, especially in its warehouses, with many new recruits only lasting days or weeks, according to a June 2021 report by the New York Times.
Constant monitoring, high injury rates, physically grueling work, unreasonable deadlines, and having no time off are just some of the complaints shared by Amazon employees.
According to the US Department of Labor, job vacancies in the US are also at record highs, reaching nearly 11 million in July — making hiring even harder.
"Today, there are not enough workers to fill every job in the United States, which means businesses are struggling to hire, especially for roles that require specific or technical skill sets," Cheryl Oldham, from the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation told The Guardian.
In July, Walmart also offered to pay full college tuition for approximately 1.5 million part-time and full-time US employees. Target followed in August, saying it would offer free degree programs to more than 340,000 US staff.

courtesy of https://engoo.co.kr/app/daily-news/article/amazon-offers-to-pay-college-tuition-for-750000-us-staff/UBvdRBalEeyee_NfC-t5sA

[영어 요약]
Amazone, one of the largest online retail chains in the US, has announced it would pay the college tuition of its part-time employees, starting January. The education funding will be spent on career training and development for its workers between now and 2025 in an effort to attract and retain more staff. All the staff members are eligible for the scheme providing that they work at Amazon for mere 90 days and keep working there as part or full-time employees. What's more, those who benefit from the plan could leave the company without having to worry about the payback. The move comes as Amazon grapples with a high turnover of staff, particularly in its warehouses due to its notorious labor environment. Furthermore, a myriad of businesses in the US has now tackled a chronic labor shortage. Walmart had already led its way to offer to pay 100% of college tuition and book costs for its par and full-time workforce last month in an attempt to address job openings.