Amazon adds to Phoenix-area presence, moving 130 jobs from Seattle

PHOENIX — Amazon is eliminating more than 100 jobs in Seattle and moving them to Phoenix, a Seattle newspaper reported this week, the latest sign that the internet behemoth is a fan of the Valley’s business conditions.

Chris Camacho, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, said we can expect to see big companies like Amazon bringing more jobs to the area.

“The most recent decision is an example of a company that is taking advantage of a strong labor pool [and] competitive operating environment, and I anticipate companies like Amazon continuing to add head count and business units in greater Phoenix in the long term,” Camacho told KTAR New 92.3 FM.

The Seattle Times reported Sunday that about 130 workers in Seattle’s central operations center were told their work would be moved to Arizona by the end of this month.

“Since our work in the last five years with Amazon, they’re very bullish on the greater Phoenix market,” Camacho said. “The fact that they’re sending signals by adding additional head count and a variety of business units that they have a strong belief … in our labor delivery system.”

Camacho said the company has 7,000 workers in the Valley, mainly at a technology office in Tempe and four major fulfillment centers that serve the Southwest U.S.

The Times said salaries in the Seattle dispatch center started at $15.45 an hour, and job listings for identical roles in Phoenix offered $11.25 an hour. Seattle also recently implemented a head tax on large employers.

“These companies are deciding to divest from those more expensive markets and shift head count into markets like greater Phoenix and other locations that have very predictable tax environments but also very strong labor pools and also affordability of housing for their employees,” Camacho said.

“You’re going to see more and more of this phenomenon.”

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Jeremy Foster contributed to this report.

Follow @KTAR923