Amazon is preparing for one of its largest corporate layoffs in years, with tens of thousands of office jobs expected to be cut as early as this week, according to multiple media reports.
Both The Wall Street Journal and Reuters report that Amazon plans to eliminate up to 30,000 positions. The move is part of a broad restructuring effort led by chief executive Andy Jassy to reduce costs and refocus company priorities.
Amazon declined to provide a statement when contacted by international media organizations.
Biggest workforce reduction in years
If confirmed, the layoffs would rank among the largest in the tech sector this year. They would also mark Amazon’s biggest round of job cuts since 2022, when around 27,000 positions were eliminated over several months.
Reports from CNBC and The New York Times also described the planned reductions, citing people familiar with the matter. However, it remains unclear which departments or countries will be affected.
Corporate teams face significant cuts
The cuts are expected to hit roughly ten percent of Amazon’s corporate workforce. Despite that, the number represents only a small portion of its global staff of more than 1.5 million employees.
According to U.S. filings, Amazon has about 350,000 corporate workers worldwide, including executives, managers, and sales professionals.
Pandemic expansion gives way to cost control
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Amazon expanded rapidly to handle surging demand for e-commerce and delivery services. The company hired tens of thousands of new workers to keep pace with record online orders.
Since then, CEO Andy Jassy has shifted his focus toward efficiency and cost discipline. At the same time, Amazon is investing heavily in artificial intelligence to improve productivity and reduce expenses.
AI signals shift in future employment
Jassy said in June that the company’s growing use of AI tools will inevitably reshape its workforce. Automation, he explained, will replace some roles while creating new opportunities in other areas.
“We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today,” Jassy said. “And more people doing new kinds of work that come with technological progress.”
