With Amazon’s new Oxnard fulfillment center officially open for business, the City of Oxnard highlights how its partnership with Amazon ensured local residents got hired.
In October 2020, when Amazon announced it was building a new fulfillment center that would create more than 1,500 new, full-time jobs with industry-leading pay and benefits, the City began to work with Amazon to notify and prepare Oxnard residents for these much needed jobs. Through this collaboration over the past year, about 60% of Amazon’s new hires at the fulfillment center are from the City of Oxnard.
“As part of the City Council’s economic development priorities, we’re focused on getting the necessary training and education for our residents so they can compete for better jobs with local companies,” said City Manager Alexander Nguyen. “Our partnership with Amazon is a great example of working with our business community to push the pipeline connecting Oxnard residents to local businesses.”
While the facility was being built, Oxnard city employees worked with Amazon Workforce staff to build an interest list of more than 2,000 Oxnard residents wanting Amazon jobs.
As the facility was nearing completion, City staff helped Amazon to coordinate and share news of five pop-up information sessions for residents to learn more about available jobs. Staff also worked with Amazon Workforce representatives to coordinate weekly in-person, bilingual job application assistance events at an Oxnard hotel in the lead-up to the facility’s opening.
“We’re working hard to deliver results. Our residents want and need good paying jobs with healthcare benefits, and our businesses want good employees,” said Mayor John C. Zaragoza.
“Our collaboration with Amazon, and our continued partnership with Oxnard College and the West Ventura County Business Alliance to grow the Oxnard Employee Pipeline, will continue to create economic opportunities for both our residents and businesses that will benefit the entire Oxnard community.”