Posted by Washington, USA – Mumbai, India: Amazon announced on Wednesday that it will cut over 18,000 jobs due to the uncertain economy. In a message to employees, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said, ”Between the reductions we made in November and the ones we’re sharing today, we plan to eliminate just over 18,000 roles.”
While the company had announced the layoff of 10,000 staff last November, it further planned to eliminate more positions across businesses as part of the annual planning process for 2023.
“This year’s review has been more difficult given the uncertain economy and that we’ve hired rapidly over the last several years,” said Jassy.
“Between the reductions we made in November and the ones we’re sharing today, we plan to eliminate just over 18,000 roles. Several teams are impacted; however, the majority of role eliminations are in our Amazon Stores and PXT (People, Experience, and Technology) organisations,” informed Jassy.
Amazon‘s CEO said that he and his teams are deeply aware that these role eliminations are difficult for people. “We don’t take these decisions lightly or underestimate how much they might affect the lives of those who are impacted.”
“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,” added Jassy.
However, this internal information on Amazon’s move to cut jobs was leaked externally, which led CEO Jessy immediately communicate this news to employees.
“We typically wait to communicate about these outcomes until we can speak with the people who are directly impacted,” said Jessy.
“However, because one of our teammates leaked this information externally, we decided it was better to share this news earlier so you can hear the details directly from me,” Jessy informed in the statement to the employees.
The company’s plan to cut jobs would impact its Europe operations to some extent and those impacted employees will be communicated starting on Jan 18.
“mazon has weathered uncertain and difficult economies in the past, and we will continue to do so. These changes will help us pursue our long-term opportunities with a stronger cost structure,” said Jessy.