London, Feb 20 (IANS): Online retail giant Amazon has said it will create 5,000 new full-time jobs in the UK this year, the media reported on Monday.

The firm said it was looking for a range of staff, including software developers and warehouse staff, reports the BBC.

There will be jobs at Amazon's head office in London, as well as in the Edinburgh customer service centre and in three new warehouses.

The recruitment will take Amazon's workforce in the UK to more than 24,000.

Doug Gurr, the head of Amazon's UK business, said: "We are creating thousands of new UK jobs including hundreds of apprenticeship opportunities as we continue to innovate for our customers and provide them with even faster delivery, more selection and better value."

The expansion reflects the importance of the UK market, which is Amazon's second biggest outside the US, behind Germany.

Services which are developed in the US are usually launched in the UK first, such as Amazon Fresh, the grocery service which was launched in parts of Britain last year.