Employees in Amazon’s warehouses want more protective measures.Amazon

The mega-group Amazon wants to hire 150,000 seasonal workers in more than 20 states, in addition to more than 100,000 non-seasonal warehouse and delivery workers, as the country faces a notoriously stubborn labor shortage that makes it difficult for even the most popular employers to fill positions.

Potential employees don’t like working at Amazon and face unusually high staff turnover rates, making it difficult for the company to find interested workers in some locations. Earlier this year, the company said it planned to hire more than 100,000 (non-seasonal) fulfillment workers and an additional 40,000 corporate employees, hires that, if realized, would make Amazon the largest private employer in the United States, ahead of Walmart.

Amazon is trying to find solutions by raising wages and other incentives – for example, it plans to offer an average starting wage of $18 an hour, plus a $3,000 signing bonus, for new seasonal workers in more than 20 states. According to Amazon’s Monday press release, some workers could receive an additional $3 per hour based on job positions – though the type of position was not specified – in many states.

Amazon has communicated about a new “free” tuition coverage plan for workers who stay longer than three months, though the actual offerings of the plan are somewhat limited. Walmart, Target, and other large employers have also begun offering competing benefits.