Amazon to bring 1,700 jobs to Italy

Milan: Amazon will bring 1,700 new jobs to Italy by the end of the year, the online commerce giant announced Monday, bringing its number of employees working in the country´s groaning economy to 5,200.

In a statement Amazon said that the new positions would be permanent hires and open to "people with all levels of experience, training and skills, from software developers and engineers to warehouse workers". Unemployment in Italy stands at nearly 11 percent, according to the latest figures from national statistics agency Istat.

That number spikes to nearly 20 percent for those aged between 15 and 34 and just under 32 percent for the 15-24 year age range. Economic growth in Italy has lagged behind the rest of the eurozone in recent years.

This year the country is forecast to see 1.5 percent economic growth, compared to 2.3 percent for the bloc as a whole. On Wednesday Amazon announced that it would be bringing 2,500 jobs to the United Kingdom, boosting its workforce there to 27,500 people.

Online shopping king Amazon´s growth comes at a time when other big retailers are slashing jobs. British supermarket chain Marks & Spencer is set to close more than 100 stores in the UK by 2022.