Dive Brief:

• Amazon announced Thursday that it will create 100,000 full-time jobs with benefits over the next 18 months, continuing the company's shocking growth. In 2011, the company had 30,000 employees. Today it has over 180,000.
• Notably, the hires will offer insurance, paid leave and company stock in an "egalitarian" way, offering them to all employees regardless of position. The company will also expand their Career Choice program, which pre-pays tuition for courses in "in-demand" fields.
• President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration attempted to claim some credit for the announcement, saying that the meeting Trump had with various tech leaders "played a role" in the decision. 

Dive Insight:

While Amazon has been under fire in the past for treatment of employees, there's no denying they have been a leader in responsible growth through the past decade. By offering extensive benefits to almost all employees regardless of position, it is clear that investment in the workforce has been a focus for the past year.

Compared to the rest of the retail industry, Amazon has seen consistent growth in workforce. The company's experiments with independent contracting have hit some road blocks, however. Not unusual in this economy, where questions about employee classification have yet to be fully answered.