Amazon has announced plans to hire nearly 7,000 workers in New Jersey as a record number of people are out of work because of the pandemic.

The online retail giant has seen its stock price practically doubling as more people opt to purchase items over the internet rather than at brick and mortar stores. This has increased the need for jobs at Amazon.

“To pick, pack and stow here in a fulfillment center, there’s IT positions, HR, safety and security, so there’s a variety of positions to meet a variety of needs for people looking for jobs today,” says Amazon spokeswoman Kate Scarpa.

One of those looking to get hired for one of those positions is Erin Platvoet of Woodbridge.

"I realized more and more what do I want to out of a job, I want to be able to do something I love. I want to have satisfaction out of it,” she says.

Platvoet says that she didn't get that working in retail for more than a dozen years. After being furloughed, she enrolled in a computer coding boot camp, setting her sights - at age 31 — on web development. She says that she is optimistic that she will find new employment.

Employment in the retail business has become limited as companies like Amazon take over and the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Brand-name companies so far, this year have announced a combined closure of at least 6,000 stores.

But a coding boot camp like the one Platvoet took can cost thousands – not necessarily a viable option for some of the 1.5 million people in New Jersey who have filed for unemployment during the pandemic, and claims are still coming in, with more than 20,000 new claims in the last week.

Amazon says that it will hire 100,000 people in the United States and Canada. There are full-time and part-time positions, some with benefits. Prospective employees can apply on Amazon’s website.