Amazon to create 2,000 jobs in Britain

Online retail giant Amazon announced Friday that it would create 2,000 jobs in Britain over the next two years with the opening of three new fulfilment centres.

Amazon added in a statement that the new facilities would also create up to 3,000 temporary positions over the peak Christmas trading period.

The upbeat news came on the same day that Amazon opened its eighth fulfilment centre in Hemel Hempstead, with the creation of 600 permanent jobs.

"We have created thousands of jobs in the UK over the last few years and are delighted to announce that we plan to create thousands more in the next 24 months," said Christopher North, managing director of Amazon.co.uk Ltd.

"Our recruitment team has been exceptionally busy recently hiring hundreds of employees at the Hemel Hempstead fulfilment centre, and they will certainly be busy over the next couple of years as we continue to expand to provide customers with the best possible experience."

The new jobs will include posts in computing, management and human resources.

British Prime Minister David Cameron added that the announcement was "great news" for the economy.

"I am delighted that Amazon will create thousands of new jobs. This is great news, not only for those individuals who will find work, but for the UK economy," Cameron added in the Amazon statement.

"This shows that the UK has the infrastructure and talent to continue to attract major investments from leading companies such as Amazon."