Amazon says the e-commerce company’s Vancouver expansion has been in the works for a while and has nothing to do with the hotly-contested race by cities across Canada and the U.S. to claim the e-commerce company’s $5 billion Headquarters 2.
The Vancouver Sun reports that 1,000 new jobs will be added by 2020, and will be a mix of tech and non-tech jobs, including software development, human resources, and marketing roles. Amazon’s first headquarters opened in Vancouver in 2015 and already employs 1,000 workers, mostly software engineers.
“We’re so excited to be here and be growing,” said Jesse Dougherty, Amazon’s Vancouver site lead, during a Friday morning event at the company’s Vancouver office. “It’s thrilling.” When asked by the media about the planned HQ2, Doughtery answered, “I have no information on HQ2.”
Hundreds of cities have submitted proposals to be considered as the location for Amazon’s HQ2. Amazon is expected to invest over $5 billion in construction and grow HQ2 to “as many as 50,000 high-paying jobs.” Amazon already claims to employ more than 380,000 employees worldwide.
Visa applications process in U.S. behind Amazon move
An interesting take on the decision by Amazon to locate a second corporate office in Vancouver has been suggested. Keep in mind that President Trump has made it more difficult for tech companies to get skilled foreign workers because of challenges to visa applications.
And as Trump continues to make immigration harder for individuals and their families, tech companies are pressed to find a workforce. In the meantime, Canada launched a fast-track visa program for highly skilled workers in June, which indeed, may very well have something to do with Amazon’s decision, says Reuters.
“Amazon likes to hire the smartest people we can find, and so Vancouver certainly is a place where we like to get that growth,” said Dougherty.
