Amazon ($AMZN) is charting out an international expansion plan in spite of the trade war, as it faces supply chain headwinds on several fronts. For the second quarter, it increased job postings about 9% globally.
One of the areas in which Amazon has boosted hiring the most in the second quarter is within its Supply Chain/Transportation Management group - from 388 openings to 501 openings, an increase of more than 29%. It's a part of the business that has likely seen a great deal of turbulence, between the company's potential challenges working both in the Chinese marketplace, and working through tariffs created in the US-China trade war. Complicating matters, the company's business partnership with FedEx ($FDX) Express was terminated by the shipper.
And, while Amazon has just a handful of jobs for this category in China, it has sharply increased its supply chain/transportation management job postings elsewhere - Great Britain, Spain and Japan. The US accounts for about a third of the supply chain/transportation management roles, and also saw an increase over this year.
It comes at a time when other leading US technology companies - notably, makers of hardware - are re-evaluating and recalibrating their supply chain and production plans in China. But - even in spite of its backing away from its Chinese website - Amazon continues to add staff in China, in other roles, making it anomaly among its tech contemporaries.
China is far from big tech's only headache right now. Amazon - and other West Coast tech companies - are now under the watchful eye of the Justice Department, which, according to the Wall St. Journal, is launching an investigation into whether technology companies violated federal regulations with regard to anti-competitive rules.
But, for the second quarter, Amazon appeared to plan growth - and then, of course, there is the bounty only it can draw with the power of Prime Day. When it reports earnings July 25th, analysts tracked by Zacks Investment Research are looking for EPS of $5.29 per share.
About the Data:
Thinknum tracks companies using information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales.
Further Reading:
- Apple hiring rises - but falls in China, where tariffs loom
- Job listings, app ratings data gives Expedia clear skies ahead of earnings
- Robinhood loads up to take aim at banks and disruptors alike
