Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has announced another series of not-insignificant job cuts to the tune of around 9,000, taking the overall tally in recent months beyond 27,000.
Those affected will primarily be working in the AWS; People, Experience & Technology (PXT); Advertising; and Twitch operations, which represents a second hit for PXT workers who were affected in the earlier layoffs (alongside Amazon Store workers).
In a blog post (opens in new tab), Jassy blamed the “uncertain economy in which we reside” for the redundancies which are the result of cost and headcount streamlining.
Amazon mass layoffs
Another 9,000 is not to be sniffed at, however the precise reason paints a marginally less negative picture of the overall scene at Amazon. Jassy explained to employees that the recent round of layoffs might not be representative of further struggle, but rather a continuation of January’s announcement (opens in new tab):
“The short answer is that not all of the teams were done with their analyses in the late fall; and rather than rush through these assessments without the appropriate diligence, we chose to share these decisions as we’ve made them so people had the information as soon as possible.”
The company hopes to have informed affected staff by mid-April, at which point they will be subject to the company’s redundancy package.
The specificities remain unclear, however laid-off workers can expect “a separation payment, transitional health insurance benefits, and external job placement support.”
More widely in the company, workers have further reasons to be dissatisfied. A return-to-office mandate issued last month saw 14,000 workers join a Slack channel and subsequently form a petition within hours of the announcement. The company has also been sued over allegedly failing to pay out for home working expenses.
