From Declining Wages to Stagnant Opportunity, Amazon Drives Alarming Trends

As Amazon Prepares to Release Q4 Earnings, Questions Grow About Impact on U.S. Economy

Amazon’s earnings on Thursday are expected to show that the corporation continues to expand its revenue and market share. But new analysis suggests that Amazon’s expansion comes at a high cost to working people.

In a fact sheet released today, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) and Jobs With Justice find that Amazon is driving many of the most alarming trends affecting workers, including fewer reliable jobs, more temporary work, declining wages, and high-stress conditions.

The fact sheet, which draws on an in-depth report released by ILSR late last year, details how:

Amazon’s growth has resulted in a net loss of 149,000;
Amazon pays its warehouse workers 15% less on average than the prevailing wage for comparable work in 11 metro areas;
Amazon has expanded the use of temporary and precarious working arrangements.

“In this story of rising economic inequality in the U.S., Amazon is a central protagonist,” said ILSR Co-Director Stacy Mitchell. “Amazon erodes wages and working conditions for hundreds of thousands of people in the retail, warehouse, and package delivery sectors. It’s also making it harder for people to start and grow small businesses, which has long been an important path to the middle class.”

“As Amazon squeezes the working people who make its business successful, the corporation delivers enormous wealth to its top executives and shareholders,” said Jobs With Justice Executive Director Sarita Gupta. She continued, “To make sure the economy works for everyone, we need public officials and communities to rewrite the rules to stand up to Amazon.”

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The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) is a 42-year-old national nonprofit research and educational organization. ILSR’s mission is to provide innovative strategies, working models and timely information to support strong, community rooted, environmentally sound and equitable local economies. www.ilsr.org – Email[email protected] for press inquiries.