Amazon.com Inc said on Wednesday it plans to open two new fulfillment centers in Ontario next year, in a move that would create 2,500 new jobs in Canada's most-populous province.

Fulfillment centers are giant warehouses that help Amazon and other online retailers store many products, ship them and handle returns quickly.

The Seattle-based e-commerce giant is on an expansion spree on the back of a meteoric rise in its business, thanks to a surge in online orders during coronavirus-induced lockdowns.

In April and May, Amazon hired for 175,000 jobs ranging from warehouse staff to delivery drivers to keep up with the demand.

(Reporting by Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni) ((tiyashi.datta@thomsonreuters.com;))