Help wanted: Amazon and Walmart look to fill 60,000 positions in U.S.

Vying to keep up with customer demand, Amazon and Walmart are embarking on hiring campaigns in an effort to collectively fill more than 60,000 positions at hundreds of locations across the U.S., the nation's largest private employers both said on Wednesday.

Seattle-based Amazon wants to hire 55,000 people globally, with about 40,000 technology and corporate positions open at more than 220 locations in the U.S. It's also looking to fill tens of thousands of positions in its operations network, paying at least $15 an hour and offering retirement and health benefits "starting on day one," Ardine Williams, Amazon's vice president of workforce development, told CBS MoneyWatch.  "The good news for American workers coming out of the pandemic is there is tremendous opportunity," said Williams, who noted that Amazon's average starting wage across the U.S. is $17 an hour.