// Amazon plans to cut more than 18,000 jobs, the largest number in its history, as it battles to save costs
// Employees affected by the cuts are expected to be told by 18 January
Amazon is set to cut over 18,000 jobs from its workforce – the largest set of layoffs in the US tech giant’s history, citing economic uncertainty.
The online giant which employs 1.5 million people globally, did not say which countries the job cuts would be in, but confirmed they would include Europe.
Chief executive Andy Jassy said the business had “hired rapidly over several years and in a note to employees said: “Between the reductions we made in November and the ones we’re sharing today, we plan to eliminate just over 18,000 roles.”
He said Amazon had weathered “difficult economies” in the past and would continue to do so. “These changes will help us pursue our long-term opportunities with a stronger cost structure.”
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The layoffs amount to 6% of Amazon’s roughly 300,000-person corporate workforce and the business said employees affected by the cuts are expected to be told by 18 January.
Jassy said the layoffs would mostly impact the company’s brick-and-mortar stores, which include Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go, alongside its PXT organizations which handle human resources and other functions.
Amazon is the latest big technology firm to unveil major layoffs as the cost of living crisis sees customers cut back on spending, Back in November Facebook owner Meta announced that it would be cutting 13% of its workforce.
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