Amazon’s Layoff Wave Continues: More Corporate Jobs Likely to Go in 2026

Amazon.com Inc. is reportedly preparing another wave of corporate layoffs in 2026, with thousands of jobs expected to go as early as next week. Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the plans, said the fresh cuts are part of a continued effort to reduce management layers and control costs across the company.

This upcoming round follows a series of reductions over the past few years, including a plan announced months earlier to remove about 14,000 roles. At that time, Amazon cautioned staff that deeper cuts might follow in 2026 as the company pinpointed “additional places we can remove layers”.

Amazon layoffs 2026: scale of cuts and earlier job reductions

The 2026 job losses are set to affect Amazon’s corporate ranks rather than frontline warehouse roles. As of 30 September, the group employed around 1.57 million people worldwide, with roughly 3,50,000 in corporate positions. The latest move continues a pattern that began with major layoffs in late 2022 and early 2023.

During that earlier restructuring phase, the Seattle-based company removed about 27,000 roles across several units. The new cuts are again being spread around Amazon’s peak shopping period, with phases scheduled before and after the key holiday quarter. This mirrors the timing strategy used during those previous reductions.

Amazon layoffs 2026: timing decisions and legal disclosure rules

Managers were reportedly allowed to choose whether to implement planned cuts in October or hold them until early 2026. That flexibility meant some reductions were delayed into the new year, aligning them with ongoing restructuring. Reuters had already flagged the impending terminations, while an Amazon spokesperson declined to give further comment.

Separate filings show how regulatory rules are shaping how Amazon reports job losses. Under Washington State’s updated Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, or WARN Act, employers must disclose all terminations occurring within 90 days of an earlier notice. Amazon informed Washington authorities about affected employees, in line with these legal requirements.

The scale of earlier downsizing has also been visible in smaller markets. In December 2025, Amazon cut about 8.5% of its workforce in Luxembourg, removing roughly 370 roles from a total headcount of 4,370. According to a Greekwire report, Amazon also eliminated 84 additional jobs in December, on top of the 14,000 corporate layoffs announced globally in October 2025.

Key employment figures from recent disclosures are shown below.

Since taking over in 2021, CEO Andy Jassy has pushed a broad cost-cutting strategy across Amazon’s businesses. In June 2026, Jassy said generative AI was expected to shrink the company’s corporate workforce over the coming years, suggesting technology would automate more white-collar tasks.

For young workers and jobseekers watching Amazon layoffs 2026, the latest reports highlight how large tech employers are still trimming staff after earlier rounds. With thousands more corporate roles now at risk, the company’s long-running restructuring drive and reliance on automation appear set to continue shaping its global workforce.