OPA-LOCKA, Fla. – Want to work with robots? Amazon announced Thursday that the retail behemoth was hiring 1,000 workers to staff its new robotic fulfillment center in Opa-Locka.
The 885,000-square-foot facility is set to open in the coming weeks, the company said.
The positions are both full and part time and require a high school degree. According to the company, Amazon associates earn about $10 per hour and qualify for health and 401(k) retirement benefits.
The new jobs are part of Amazon increased presence in the Miami area. The region is also in the running to become the location of Amazon's second headquarters, bringing thousands of white-collar jobs to South Florida. However, many outside observers see the South Florida bid as a long shot compared with the pitches of other finalists such as Boston, Washington, D.C., and New York.
In these new automated warehouses, yellow robot-powered shelves bring the products to employees to sort, pack and ship out, rather than the employees searching through a cavernous space.
While many workers have concerns about automation eliminating jobs, Amazon executives stress in news coverage of other robotic fulfillment centers that the machines need human help.
"Without people, the robotics can't do what they need to do," Nikki Taylor White, an Amazon executive, told the Kansas City Star in April. "Our critical thinking skills are what makes us the best and what makes that interaction between the person and the robot the only way it gets done. You can't have one without the other."
Those interested can apply online at Amazon.com/MiamiJobs.