SHAREHOLDERPROPOSALS 83 employees, our partners, and the world at large. Wetrackandpublicly disclose data about the representation of women and employees from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups in our workforce, and have recently increased the amount and specificity of data we share publicly, because we know that diversity helps us build better teams that meet the needs of 84 andbetter represent our global customer base. Ourreported gender and racial/ethnic group pay statistics demonstrate thatAmazonpaysouremployeescomparablywhenanalyzingtheworkofpeopleperformingthesamejobs.Whenevaluating 2021compensation,including base compensation, cash bonuses, and stock, our reported data demonstrates that women globally and in the United States earned 99.8 cents and 99.9 cents, respectively, for every dollar that men earned performing the same jobs, and racial/ethnic minorities in the United States earned 99.2 cents for every dollar that white employees earned performing the same jobs.85 Additionally, with more than 1.6 million employees worldwide, we have increased the percentage of women and U.S. employees from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups across our tech and non-tech corporate roles and in manager roles in each of the past three years. Furthermore, we are committed to making the communities in which we operate better from an employment and financial perspective. We are proud to be a leader in compensation and employee benefits, and our high wages have had a positive impact on other wages in local labor markets where Amazon operates and have helped boost local economies across the country.86 In the United States, the roles in fulfillment and transportation offer an average starting wage of more than $18anhour—andupto$22.50perhourinsomelocations.87Additionally,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 88 nine different Company-funded upskilling programs as part of Amazon’s $1.2 billion Upskilling 2025 pledge. Programs include Career Choice, an education benefit which fully funds tuition for employees to learn new skills for career success at Amazonorelsewhere,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. AmazonEngageswithImpactedCommunities,Stakeholders, and Third-Party Experts and Has Initiated Numerous Programs to Assess and Address Concerns that Have Been Raised Regarding Our Operations In addition to committing to conduct a racial equity audit, we have initiated numerous programs to assess and address racial justice considerations across key aspects of our operations, including thosediscussedbelow,andbelievetheseinitiatives andcommitmentsfullyaddresstheobjectives of this proposal. • Company-WideDiversity, Equity, and Inclusion Goals. Starting in 2020, our senior leadership team dove deep into the mechanisms we use to hire, develop, and promote employees, so that we can better identify opportunities to ensure equitable access for all. We also publicly announced ambitious 2020 and 2021 Company-wide goals for diversity, equity, andinclusion.89 In 2020, we set, and met, goals to double the number of Black directors and vice presidents, launch inclusion training for all employees, and remove racially insensitive language in our tech documentation. In 2021, while wefell short of the ambitious goal we set to again double the number of Black directors and vice presidents, we made significant progressandincreasedthenumberofBlackdirectorsandvicepresidentsbyalmost70%andremaincommitted to increasing diverse representation in our workforce at the most senior levels. We achieved our goal in 2021 to increase thehiringofU.S.Blackmid-levelemployeesbyatleast30%.Further,weinspectedanystatisticallysignificantdemographic differences in performance ratings and attrition to identify root causes and, as necessary, implement action plans. We continue to inspect and refine the mechanisms we use to hire, develop, evaluate, and retain our employees to promote equity for all candidates and employees. • Participating in the MLT Black Equity at Work Certification Program. We have worked with Management Leadership for Tomorrow(“MLT”), which partners with more than 150 leading companies, social sector organizations, and universities to strengthen recruitment and retention of Black, Latinx, and Native American talent. We are also one of the initial 12 launch employers participating in the MLT Black Equity at Work Certification Program, which is a clear and comprehensive newstandardthatrequires employers to assess and make meaningful progress toward achieving Black equity internally 83 Seehttps://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/building-an-inclusive-culture; https://www.aboutamazon.com/about-us/leadership-principles. 84 Seehttps://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/our-workforce-data. 85 Seehttps://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/our-workforce-data. 86 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. 87 Seehttps://press.aboutamazon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/amazon-announces-plans-hire-125000-employees-hundreds-cities-and. 88 Seehttps://www.aboutamazon.com/workplace/upskilling-commitments. 89 Seehttps://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/diversity-equity-and-inclusion. 2022ProxyStatement 77