Amazon is preparing to cut thousands of office jobs amid slowing sales and concerns about an economic downturn.
According to US media reports, the reductions could affect roughly 3% of office staff at the e-commerce giant – or about 10,000 people.
The cuts are expected to affect divisions such as personal devices and e-commerce.
The company had already introduced a hiring freeze and halted some of its warehouse expansions, warning it had over-hired during the pandemic. It has also taken steps to shut some parts of its business, cancelling projects such as a personal delivery robot.
Last week, the company said that reducing expenses would be a focus in its annual review of business operations.
“As part of this year’s review, we’re of course taking into account the current macro-environment and considering opportunities to optimize costs,” the company said in a statement.
Amazon has been grappling with a slowdown in online sales after business boomed during the pandemic.
According to the founder Jeff Bezos, who has stepped down as chief executive but remains chairman of the board, has said on social media that it was a time to “batten down the hatches”.
Amazon joins a string of other tech companies that have announced job cuts, warning of a downturn in the economy. The list includes Meta, parent of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, who also recently said it would cut 11,000 jobs – the biggest reduction in its history or roughly 13% of its workforce.
BBC