SHAREHOLDERPROPOSALS dollar that men earned performing the same jobs, and racial/ethnic minorities in the United States earned 99.2 cents for 72 every dollar that white employees earned performing the same jobs. While we are aware that more work needs to be done and are striving to make progress, we disagree with this proposal’s unsupported assertion that reporting unadjusted median pay gaps is a “best practice,” and we note that few U.S. companies report on an unadjusted basis. An unadjusted median pay statistic does not account for factors such as cost of living, job function and level, labor force participation rates, country currency, and geography that impact differences in compensation. Furthermore, the unadjusted median pay statistic does not provide the information our managers and leaders need to makehiring, promotion, and retention decisions in a way that drives representation of women and employees from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups into management and leadership roles. We believe that the pay information that we review and disclose publicly each year, which incorporates these factors, provides a more accurate picture of our pay policies and practices. As reflected by our published pay information, we are committed to fairly and equitably compensating our employees. Our compensation policies and practices are designed to compensate employees in accordance with their job and level, without regard to gender, race, or other protected categories. We monitor implementation of our policies and practices by annually reviewing employee compensation. Wealsoseton-hirecompensationwithoutregardtoacandidate’s current or previous salary, blunting the effect of historical inequities along gender and race lines. Amazon was early to adopt aboldandcomprehensiveU.S.-widepolicyprohibitingrecruitersfromaskingcandidatesfortheircurrentsalaryinformation, rather than prohibiting such inquiries only where legally required. Wealsodonotbelievethatreportingonanumberofmedianpaygapsacrossraceandgender,asrequestedbythis proposal, is a practical or useful approach that would enhance understanding of or accountability for our diversity and inclusion efforts. The nature of racial disparities and discrimination issues, as well as the racial and ethnic composition of underrepresented groups, can vary greatly from region to region, even within the same country. Therefore, a precise determination as to which demographic groups are, or are not, underrepresented in a given geography may not be possible. Moreover, the laws of some countries prohibit employers from collecting race and ethnicity information from employees, asrecognizedbyInstitutionalShareholderServices(“ISS”)ina2020report.73Theproposalseemstorecognizetheselimitations butdoesnotexplainhowitwouldhavecompaniessolvethem,insteadstatingonlythatcompaniesmaycalculate“percentage median racial/minority/ethnicity pay gap” by “US and/or by country, where appropriate.” While we could provide a patchwork of additional statistics across our workforce, we do not believe it is a useful or productive effort. WeAreIntently Focused on Our Employees’ Well-Being and Success Weareproudtooffercompetitivepayandcomprehensivebenefits,andourhighwageshavehadapositiveimpacton 74 other wages in local labor markets where Amazon operates and have helped boost local economies across the country. In the United States, the roles in fulfillment and transportation offer an average starting wage of more than $18 an hour— andupto$22.50perhourinsomelocations.75Additionally,weprovidenumerousbenefitstoouremployees,including comprehensive medical benefits, a 401(k) plan with a Company match, and up to 20 weeks of parental leave (birth parents are eligible for up to 20 weeks of leave and partners up to six). Every employee at Amazon also has access to nine different 76 Company-fundedupskilling programs as part of Amazon’s $1.2 billion Upskilling 2025 pledge. Programsinclude Career Choice, an education benefit which fully funds tuition for employees to learn new skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere, including Bachelor’s degrees, industry certifications designed to lead to in-demand jobs, and foundational skills such as English language proficiency, high school diplomas, and GEDs. We offer graduate-school-level training for our employeesthroughMachineLearningUniversity, a program designed to give current Amazon employees the chance to developexpertise in machine learning, growing critical skills in an area of rapidly expanding professional opportunities within Amazon.WearealsoproudtoofferouremployeestheopportunitytoparticipateinourMechatronicsandRobotics Apprenticeship Program. This program, which is registered with the U.S. Department of Labor, provides employees the opportunity to learn skills and technical knowledge needed to fulfill a technical maintenance role within our facilities. Those whocompletethefirst phase of this program see an increase in their wages of up to approximately 40%, and those who complete the second phase see their average wage increase by up to an additional 48%. 72 Seehttps://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/our-workforce-data. 73 SeeU.S. Environmental & Social Shareholder Proposals, 2020 Proxy Season Review, ISS, October 20, 2020, at 12, available at https://insights.issgovernance.com/posts/2020-u-s-environmental-social-shareholder-proposals-proxy-season-review/(subscription required). 74 Seehttps://www.aboutamazon.com/news/job-creation-and-investment/study-shows-amazons-wage-increase-to-15-an-hour-also-upped-pay-for-non- amazon-workers. 75 Seehttps://press.aboutamazon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/amazon-announces-plans-hire-125000-employees-hundreds-cities-and. 76 Seehttps://www.aboutamazon.com/workplace/upskilling-commitments. 72