Amazon plans to hire 2,000 workers for two new N.J. facilities

The world’s largest online retailer has plans to hire more than 2,000 full-time employees to work at two new “fulfillment centers” in New Jersey.

More than 1,500 people will work at one new facility in Carteret, outside of New York City, where an existing fulfillment center currently employs 500 people. The second new facility in Florence will have 500 workers.

Amazon said the expansion is a response to growing demand throughout New Jersey, situated between the sprawling New York City and Philadelphia metro areas.

“We place our fulfillment centers close to customers to provide the fastest possible delivery times, and this expansion in New Jersey is directly tied to our increasing customer demand,” said Akash Chauhan, Amazon’s vice president of North America fulfillment operations.

More than 5,500 people already work for Amazon in four locations across the state.

It’s a bit of good economic news for a state that continues to recover from the Great Recession, said economist Joseph Seneca, professor emeritus at the Bloustein School of Rutgers University.

“Job growth in New Jersey has been weak since the recovery from the recession. We had a very good year last year — it was our best year in some time,” said Seneca. “But 2,000 jobs net addition to the state’s very large job base is a good boost.”