In a move to streamline operations, Amazon has informed employees worldwide that it will eliminate 16,000 jobs, marking its second significant round of layoffs within three months. The company previously announced plans to cut 14,000 roles, primarily in the United States.
Most of the layoffs are expected to impact US-based staff, though some UK roles may also be affected. The company stated that these “additional organizational changes” aim to reduce layers, boost ownership, and eliminate bureaucracy, according to a staff blog post from Beth Galetti, Senior Vice President of People Experience and Technology.
Galetti emphasized that not all teams affected by the October layoffs will face further cuts and clarified that this is not part of a recurring pattern of regular layoffs. She assured employees that Amazon plans to continue hiring in strategic areas vital to its future growth.
The announcement followed an internal mishap in which an email draft was circulated, mistakenly informing staff in the US, Canada, and Costa Rica that they had already been laid off. The draft email, sent from AWS Senior Vice President Colleen Aubrey, referred to the layoffs as part of “Project Dawn” and indicated that affected employees would have 90 days to find new roles internally in the US, with different timelines in other countries.
Aubrey’s email acknowledged the difficulty of such decisions and noted they were made thoughtfully to position AWS and the organization for continued success. The message was based on a forthcoming communication from Amazon’s HR, which was not subsequently sent.
This wave of layoffs is part of Amazon’s broader effort to curb pandemic-driven hiring and cut costs amid concerns about automation and future workforce needs. CEO Andy Jassy has previously warned that AI could replace some white-collar jobs in the coming years.
The layoffs coincide with similar cost-cutting measures by logistics giant UPS, which announced it could cut up to 30,000 jobs this year, primarily focusing on higher-margin shipments and reducing low-value deliveries for Amazon, its largest customer. In the UK, a few hundred job cuts are expected in corporate offices in London and Manchester, with warehouse staff unaffected.