Online retail giant Amazon will invest in a distribution center in Umán, Yucatán Gov. Mauricio Vila Dosal confirmed.
State authorities came out in support of Amazon’s investment and expressed optimism regarding the creation of new good-paying jobs in the region.
According to websites such as glassdoor and mx.indeed.com, the average monthly wage for an Amazon warehouse worker in Mexico is just under 6,000 pesos a month, roughly $US300.
Amazon’s director for Mexican operations, Diego Méndez de la Luz, thanked state authorities and said that Amazon’s investment in Yucatan reflected their commitment to clients in southeastern México.
In October, Amazon laid out preliminary plans for an ambitious expansion effort in Mexico, with an investment of US$100 million. Aside from the logistics distribution center in Umán, Amazon will open similar centers in the states of Nuevo Leon and Jalisco.
In recent years the company has been the subject of intense criticism around the world for not doing enough to keep workers safe from COVID-19. The company is also known for its hectic working conditions and taking an extremely hard stance against employees’ efforts to unionize. A leaked document acquired by Vox, describes Amazon’s plans to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in data visualization tools capable of giving the company a heads-up regarding “threats,” such as attempts by workers to unionize.
According to its own earnings reports, Amazon has seen third-quarter earnings rise by 37% with revenues of US$96.15 billion globally.
Other tech giants such as Apple, Facebook and Google-parent Alphabet have also experienced accelerated growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Economic analysts expect this trend to continue given the pandemic-related reluctance of many customers to leave their homes for non-essential activities such as shopping and entertainment, opting instead for digital and home-delivery alternatives.
