Amazon is preparing to eliminate up to 30,000 corporate positions beginning Tuesday, marking the shipping giant's most extensive workforce reduction since late 2022.
The planned cuts would affect nearly 10 per cent of the company's approximately 350,000 corporate staff members worldwide, according to insiders.
This reduction surpasses the roughly 27,000 positions eliminated during the previous major restructuring that began in late 2022.
Whilst the figure constitutes a modest fraction of Amazon's overall workforce of 1.55 million employees, it signals a significant shift in the company's corporate structure.
GB News has approached Amazon for a comment.
The reductions form part of broader cost-cutting measures aimed at addressing excessive recruitment during the pandemic's peak demand period.
Over the previous two years, the company has implemented smaller-scale redundancies across various departments, including devices, communications and podcasting divisions.
Sources indicate the forthcoming cuts could affect multiple areas within the organisation, including human resources (internally referred to as People Experience and Technology), devices and services, and operations.
The reductions form part of broader cost-cutting measures aimed at addressing excessive recruitment during the pandemic's peak demand period
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Team leaders responsible for affected departments participated in preparatory sessions on Monday, receiving guidance on communicating with employees who will receive termination notices via email on Tuesday morning.
Chief Executive Andy Jassy has been pursuing measures to streamline operations and eliminate what he characterises as excessive bureaucracy within the organisation.
His efforts include establishing an anonymous feedback system for reporting inefficiencies, which has generated approximately 1,500 submissions and resulted in more than 450 procedural modifications this year.
In June, Mr Jassy indicated that expanding the implementation of artificial intelligence would likely result in additional workforce reductions, especially through the automation of repetitive tasks.
Amazon's BH1 Fulfillment Center in Rugeley is 700,000 square feet, the same size as nine and a half football pitches
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He noted that AI represents a "once-in-a-lifetime technological advancement" that has already transformed Amazon's operations.
The precise extent of the current redundancy programme remains uncertain, with sources suggesting the figures may evolve as financial priorities shift.
Earlier reporting suggested the human resources division could face reductions of approximately 15 per cent.
Amazon, America's second-largest employer, is widely regarded as an indicator of broader employment trends.
Amazon is among the top 10 private sector employers in the country
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The company has already decelerated recruitment, indicating AI's growing influence on staffing requirements.
Jassy wrote in July that generative AI agents would advance the company's capabilities, stating: "We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs."
Amazon's shares rose 1.2 per cent to $226.80 on Monday afternoon, with third-quarter earnings scheduled for Thursday.
The company employs around 75,000 permanent employees in the UK across its corporate, technology, and operations roles.
This figure places it among the top 10 private sector employers in the country.
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