Digital HR Leaders with David Green

How People Analytics and Science Powers Amazon’s Global Hiring Engine (an Interview with Ashish Parulekar)

Apr 15, 2025

Ashish Parulekar, Director of Data Science and Global Head of Talent Acquisition Analytics at Amazon, sheds light on scaling talent acquisition at a massive scale. He discusses how Amazon leverages data and advanced analytics to hire smartly and fairly across diverse roles. The conversation dives into optimizing high-volume hiring with technology, the importance of machine learning, and maintaining a human touch in decisions. Parulekar also emphasizes the critical skills for professionals in people analytics and the evolving landscape of careers in this field.

44:51

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Episode guests

Ashish Parulekar

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Amazon's talent acquisition success hinges on advanced analytics and real-time data reliability, ensuring efficient and equitable hiring across a vast scale.

The evolving field of people analytics requires a diverse skill set, integrating data engineering and psychology to enhance hiring decision-making and operational efficiency.

Deep dives

High-Volume Hiring Challenges

High-volume hiring at Amazon involves addressing the complexities of recruiting hundreds of thousands of roles globally across various facilities. The direct accountability of the talent acquisition analytics team means that any inaccuracies in hiring models can significantly impact operational efficiency and customer satisfaction, as delays in hiring directly affect package deliveries. This immense scale requires advanced analytics to ensure that hiring processes are efficient, effective, and equitable. Furthermore, the use of a robust tech stack facilitates real-time data reliability, allowing for data-driven decision-making that directly influences hiring outcomes.

Intro

2min

Navigating People Analytics at Amazon

7min

Optimizing High-Volume Hiring through Data and Technology

6min

Navigating Corporate Hiring Challenges

8min

Exploring Career Opportunities in People Analytics at Amazon

3min

Harnessing People Analytics for Effective Hiring

19min

What does it take to scale talent acquisition at one of the world’s largest companies?

When hiring spans hundreds of thousands of roles - from warehouses to tech hubs - the answer isn’t just more recruiters. It’s smarter systems, better data, and deep analytics.

In this episode, David Green is joined by Ashish Parulekar, Director of Data Science and Global Head of Talent Acquisition Analytics at Amazon, to explore how one of the most complex hiring engines in the world runs on data-led decisions.

Join them as they uncover:

How Amazon balances cost, speed, quality, and fairness in hiring
The tools and tech optimising high-volume and corporate recruitment
The various ways to assess top talent without bias
The evolving role of people analytics in unlocking productivity
What skills matter most in this growing field of people analytics
And how to avoid the trap of “data theatre” in early-stage analytics functions

Whether you're scaling a global team or building a people analytics capability from the ground up, this episode, sponsored by Worklytics, is packed with practical insight and strategic takeaways.

Worklytics helps leaders understand how work actually happens with data-driven insights into collaboration, productivity, and AI adoption.

By analysing real work patterns - from meetings to tool usage - they empower teams to work smarter, not harder.

And here’s something special: Worklytics is offering Digital HR Leaders listeners a complimentary AI adoption assessment to understand how your teams are really using AI - and where untapped potential lies. But don’t wait - spots are limited.

Learn more at worklytics.co/ai

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