Amazon brushes off Brexit blues with 5,000 new jobs

Amazon says it will create 5,000 jobs in the UK by the end of 2017.

The number includes those working at three fulfilment centres that are set to open this year, as well as 1,500 technical roles.

At the same time, Amazon is adding 15,000 jobs across the rest of Europe, taking its workforce there to 65,000 by the end of 2017.

The company currently employs 19,000 people in the UK.

Doug Gurr, UK country manager for Amazon, said: "We are creating thousands of new UK jobs including hundreds of apprenticeship opportunities as we continue to innovate for our customers and provide them with even faster delivery, more selection and better value.

"We are hiring for all types of roles from flight test engineers, software engineers and corporate managers in our development centres and head office, to operations managers, supervisors, engineers, service technicians, HR roles and order fulfilment roles in our fulfilment centres."

Big tech companies have seemed unfazed by the prospect of Brexit. Google confirmed it would be going ahead with a new campus, despite the EU referendum vote.

Facebook (NasdaqGS: FB - news) has said it will hire 500 more employees in UK - increasing its headcount here by 50%. And Apple is committed to a new headquarters at the redeveloped Battersea Power Station by 2021.