amazon-fullAmazon.com is going on a serious hiring spree in anticipation for a big holiday shopping season. The Seattle online retailer announced this evening that it plans to hire 70,000 seasonal workers this year to help sort, pick and pack goods at its growing network of fulfillment centers.

That represents a 40 percent uptick in holiday hiring over last year. The company said that it converted thousands of employees to full-time staffers after last year’s holiday season, and that it plans to do so again this year too.

Amazon has been growing its network of fulfillment centers at a rapid pace in recent years, looking to distance its lead in e-commerce against rivals such as Wal-Mart and Target.

But it is also boosting employment across the company, noting in its press release that it has added more than 40,000 full-time staffers in the past three years.

That sort of growth outpaces other tech companies, including Google and Microsoft as the chart below shows. (Note: This chart does not include seasonal employees).

amazon-employeeschart

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