Amazon Trims Workforce Again, 16,000 Roles to Be Eliminated Worldwide

Amazon is preparing to cut 16,000 jobs worldwide, its second large round of layoffs in three months. Together with earlier cuts, the total reaches about 30,000 roles, mostly in corporate teams. The company links the move to post-pandemic restructuring and growing use of artificial intelligence tools, while its fulfilment centres and warehouses remain mostly untouched.

The latest Amazon layoffs will affect staff in Amazon Web Services, retail operations, Prime Video and human resources. Around 14,000 white-collar posts had already gone by the end of October last year, according to CNBC. This wave targets corporate positions, representing nearly 10 per cent of Amazon's office workforce, while overall headcount stays above one million employees.

Amazon layoffs and global workforce impact

Despite the scale of the Amazon layoffs, they still form a small slice of the company’s total staff. Most employees work in logistics hubs and delivery-related roles, which are not the main focus of these cuts. The following table shows how the announced reductions compare with Amazon’s global workforce and corporate segment.

Executives tie the Amazon layoffs partly to changing technology inside the company. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said last summer that wider use of AI tools would automate more corporate tasks and remove some jobs. At the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting this month, global executives repeated that AI could cut roles but also generate new positions.

Amazon layoffs, AI adoption and industry context

Some industry leaders at that meeting suggested many firms had already planned staff reductions before AI tools matured. In their view, artificial intelligence sometimes provides an extra justification rather than the sole trigger. During the COVID-19 pandemic, large tech companies, including Amazon, hired rapidly across corporate units, and are now scaling those teams back.

Inside the company, senior leadership is trying to calm nerves as the Amazon layoffs roll out. Beth Galetti, Senior Vice President of People Experience and Technology at Amazon, addressed worries about repeated job cuts. "Some of you may be asking if this is the beginning of a new era — where we will announce large-scale cuts every few months. That is not our plan," Galetti said.

Amazon layoffs and employee support measures

Galetti explained that affected staff in the United States will get time to look for new internal roles before leaving. Most US-based employees will have 90 days to apply for jobs inside Amazon, though timelines differ in other countries because of local rules. This approach aims to keep some employees within the company, even as overall headcount shrinks.

For those unable or unwilling to move into new roles, Amazon has outlined support packages linked to the Amazon layoffs. "For teammates who are unable to find a new role at Amazon or who choose not to look for one, we'll provide transition support including severance pay, outplacement services, health insurance benefits (as applicable), and more," Galetti said. These measures are intended to ease the financial impact of the cuts.

Galetti also stressed that the Amazon layoffs do not mean a complete hiring freeze across the group. She said certain areas remain priorities for long-term investment, especially where new technology and growth projects are involved. "While we're making these changes, we'll also continue hiring and investing in strategic areas and functions that are critical to our future," she said.

For younger workers and jobseekers watching Amazon layoffs and similar moves across tech, the message is mixed. Corporate roles in areas like HR, content and some office functions are under pressure, while logistics jobs stay more stable for now. Amazon continues to adjust teams after heavy pandemic hiring, using AI tools more widely, yet still recruiting in selected strategic fields.