Dive Brief:

• For the second consecutive year, LinkedIn has named Amazon the top U.S. company in its annual list of best employers for workers to grow their careers. Runners-up Alphabet, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Walmart rounded out the top five spots.
• LinkedIn highlighted the e-commerce giant's recent move to increase wages for associate, corporate and technology employees as well as its investment in training initiatives. LinkedIn also cited Amazon's expanded Career Choice program, which the company recently expanded to allow hourly employees access to a fully-funded college education.
• Other entries identified flexibility benefits at companies like Alphabet and AT&T. Similar to Amazon, Walmart and Wells Fargo received high marks for their investment in training and career development. LinkedIn said JPMorgan Chase & Co. had used recent profits to increase worker pay while also changing its recruiting strategy to be inclusive of candidates with autism and those who have criminal backgrounds.

Dive Insight:

Nearly halfway through a six-year training investment commitment announced in 2019, Amazon's external communications have been increasingly devoted to Career Choice.

This year, the company announced a partnership with 140 national and local academic institutions and expanded training in areas such as English skills for hourly workers. It also offers English as a second language proficiency training to refugee employees as part of Welcome Door, a humanitarian program for refugee and immigrant employees.

At the same time, critics have questioned whether Career Choice — and employer-sponsored education benefit programs like it — provide much value to workers, given that employers are able to select the types of degrees employees may pursue while using the benefits and employees may lack the time needed to devote to educational activities, Protocol reported.

Amazon workers at a Staten Island facility recently voted in favor of forming the company's first union. Proponents of unionization cited job security, pay and improved working conditions among their list of demands, and criticized Amazon for its health and safety protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, the company faces competition from retailers like Walmart and Target, both of which expanded educational support programs for employees.