How Amazon HQ2 ups the ante for employers

Amazon’s decision to split up its new headquarters between New York and Virginia will create a very tough environment for employers, according to CareerBuilder CEO Irina Novoselsky.

The e-commerce giant said it would invest $2.5 billion and create 25,000 jobs in both cities, which could spell good news for current and prospective employees.

“I think it’s going to dramatically change the landscape,” Novoselsky said on FOX Business’ “Mornings with Maria” on Wednesday. “Not just of the cities but the areas around the cities and really in three areas main ways.”

To begin with, the influx of people moving into both cities will put pressure on employers to fill jobs in a tight labor market.

“More jobs means more competition and finding and filling these roles,” she said.

Novoselsky added that employers will be forced to think big.

“It’s going to force the conversation around upscaling,” she said. “We have a labor shortage in America and we have a talent gap and companies are going to have to start investing in their own employees to get them to where they need to go.”

Novoselsky said it will also pressure employers to push wages up. 

The U.S. unemployment rate sits at 3.7 percent, the lowest in nearly 50 years, according to the Labor Department.