Amazon has teamed up with East Midlands Chamber as it embarks on a major recruitment drive in the region ahead of the Christmas period.

The online e-commerce giant has joined the chamber of commerce for Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire as a strategic partner.

It comes as the company seeks to recruit 900 seasonal employees at its four hi-tech fulfilment centres in the East Midlands, while also planning to increase its permanent headcount from 3,000 to 3,400 by the end of the year.

Amazon’s UK operations director Jonatan Gal said: “Since 2010, we’ve made direct investments in our UK operations of more than £23bn.

“This includes both capital expenditure – such as the infrastructure we build, including our fulfilment centres – and operating expenditure, such as the jobs we create in the UK.

“Amazon prioritises the safety and health of its employees and has invested millions of pounds to provide a safe workplace.

“Our operation has grown significantly in the East Midlands, where the chamber of commerce has done so much for businesses of all sizes and sectors.

“We’re looking forward to working more closely with East Midlands Chamber and the wider business community.”

Amazon began operating in the East Midlands in 2016 when it opened a one million square foot warehouse in Coalville.

Last year, it opened two 500,000 sq ft sites in Chesterfield and Kegworth, before launching operations at a similar-sized fulfilment centre in Sutton-in-Ashfield on Wednesday 7 October.

Overall, the company has more than 2.5 million sq ft of warehouse space in the region – the size of 35 football pitches. It also has a sortation centre and delivery station in Bardon.

East Midlands Chamber chief executive Scott Knowles added: “The East Midlands is becoming a national – and indeed international – hub for logistics, and Amazon is one of our shining lights within a sector that has thrived during the pandemic.

“It’s great to see global firms setting down roots in the region and at a time when the employment market is facing many challenges, a significant number of high-quality jobs are being created by the likes of Amazon. It offers a great place to work with highly competitive pay, benefits from day one and training programmes for in-demand jobs.

“The Chamber is very keen to promote the huge influence these companies have on our local and national economy, and we look forward to working closely with Amazon to achieve this.”

The majority of products handled at Amazon centres are for third-party companies, and a significant proportion of those are UK SMEs.

Employees pick, pack and ship orders from there, supported in some centres by Amazon’s robotics technology. The robots slide under a tower of shelves where products are stowed, lift the batch and move it through the warehouse.

Amazon’s jobs include a range of roles, including engineers; HR, IT, finance, health and safety professionals; and operations managers, with salaries starting at £9.50 per hour.

They come with a range of benefits, including private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection, subsidised meals and an employee discount alongside a company pension plan.

The firm also runs a Career Choice programme that provides staff with adult education, offering to pre-pay 95% of tuition and associated fees for nationally-recognised courses, valued up to £8,000 over four years.