Amazon to shed over 18,000 jobs as it cuts costs, CEO says
Amazon aims to shed more than 18,000 roles as it cuts costs, the technology giant's boss says.
Affected workers will be informed from 18 January, chief executive Andy Jassy said in a note to staff.
The cuts amount to around 6% of the firm's roughly 300,000-strong corporate workforce.
In November Amazon said it was starting a round of layoffs but did not give a figure of how many jobs it would cut.
"We are working to support those who are affected and are providing packages that include a separation payment, transitional health insurance benefits, and external job placement support," Mr Jassy said.
He added: "Amazon has weathered uncertain and difficult economies in the past, and we will continue to do so."
Mr Jassy did not specify where affected employees were located, but he said the firm would communicate with organisations that represent employees "where applicable in Europe".
He also said the "majority of role eliminations" would be in the Amazon Stores operations and its People, Experience, and Technology team.
Two months ago the firm said it would focus on reducing expenses in its annual review of business operations.
Amazon had already introduced a hiring freeze and halted some of its warehouse expansions, warning it had over-hired during the pandemic.
It has also taken steps to shut some parts of its business, cancelling projects such as a personal delivery robot.
BYSIGNE SPENCER, MATT DAY AND BLOOMBERG
January 4, 2023
Andy Jassy, chief executive officer of Amazon.
DAVID RYDER/BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES
Amazon.com Inc. is laying off more than 17,000 employees — a significantly bigger number than previously planned — in the latest sign that a technology slump is deepening, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The cuts, which began last year, were previously expected to affect about 10,000 people. The reduction is concentrated in the firm’s corporate ranks, according to the Journal, which cited unidentified people familiar with the matter.
Though the prospect of layoffs has loomed over Amazon for months — the company has acknowledged that it hired too many people during the pandemic — the increasing total suggests the company’s outlook has darkened. It joins other tech giants in making major cuts. Earlier Wednesday, Salesforce Inc. announced plans to eliminate about 10% of its workforce and reduce its real estate holdings.
Amazon investors gave a positive reaction to the latest belt-tightening efforts, betting it may bolster profits at the e-commerce company. The shares climbed nearly 2% in late trading after the report.
Eliminating 17,000 workers would be the biggest cut yet for tech companies during the current slowdown, but Amazon also has a far bigger workforce than Silicon Valley peers. It had more than 1.5 million employees as of the end of September, meaning the latest cuts would represent about 1% of the workforce.
At the time the company was planning its cuts in November, a spokesperson said Amazon had roughly 350,000 corporate employees worldwide.
The world’s largest online retailer spent the end of last year adjusting to a sharp slowdown in e-commerce growth as shoppers returned to pre-pandemic habits. Amazon delayed warehouse openings and halted hiring in its retail group. It broadened the freeze to the company’s corporate staff and then began making cuts.
Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy has eliminated or curtailed experimental and unprofitable businesses, including teams working on a telehealth service, a delivery robot and a kids’ video-calling device, among other projects.
The Seattle-based company also is trying to align excess capacity with cooling demand. One effort includes trying to sell excess space on its cargo planes, according to people familiar with the matter.
The first wave of cuts landed heaviest on Amazon’s Devices and Services group, which builds the Alexa digital assistant and Echo smart speaker, among other products. The group’s chief told Bloomberg last month that layoffs in the unit totaled less than 2,000 people, and that Amazon remained committed to the voice assistant.
Some recruiters and employees in the company’s human resources group were offered buyouts. Jassy told employees in November that more cuts would come in 2023 at its retail and HR teams.
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