Amazon is giving its front-line employees a special recognition bonus totaling more than US$500 million (A$675 million).

In Australia, operations employees will qualify for a bonus of A$600 if they are employed full-time and A$300 if they work part-time and must be employed by the company from 1 December to 31 December.

Amazon senior vice president – worldwide operations, Dave Clark said, “I am grateful to our teams who continue to play a vital role in serving their communities. As we head into the peak of the holiday season, we want to share our appreciation through another special recognition bonus.”

Combined with other holiday pay incentives, Amazon is investing over US$750 million (A$1.01 billion) in additional pay for their front-line workforce in this quarter alone. This brings the total spend on special bonuses and incentives to over US$2.5 billion (A$3.38 billion) globally in 2020, including a US$500 million (A$675 million) thank you bonus earlier in the year.

“Our teams are doing amazing work serving customers’ essential needs, while also helping to bring much-needed holiday cheer for families around the world. I have never been more grateful for – or proud of – our teams,” Clark added.