A number of top tech companies, including Meta, Vimeo, and Twitter, have announced layoffs in recent months
Amazon plans to layoff around 18,000 employees, the single largest number of job cuts at a technology company since the industry began downsizing last year in response to mounting recession concerns.
The majority of the cuts, according to reports, would be made in Amazon Stores operations and its People, Experience, and Technology team.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy wrote in a blog post that the staff cuts were precipitated by the uncertain economy and the company’s rapid hiring over the last several years.
“We are working to support those who are affected and are providing packages that include a separation payment, transitional health insurance benefits, and external job placement support,” said Amazon’s CEO Andy Jassy in a post.
Amazon had reportedly planned to lay off around 10,000 employees in November, but on Wednesday, Jassy estimated that the number of jobs to be shed by the company would be higher, “just over 18,000.”
The newest cuts, however, will specifically affect the corporate workforce of the company and not the warehouse workers.
Due to a leak in the tech giant’s plan for additional layoffs, Amazon’s CEO has issued a formal announcement before sending the official emails to employees.
The company had already implemented a hiring freeze and halted some warehouse expansions after warning that it had over-hired during the pandemic.
Layoffs at an all-time high
Several layoffs occurred in the global technology industry last year. Meta, which is owned by Facebook, announced in November that it would lay off 13 percent of its workforce.
The CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, had announced the layoffs were “the most difficult changes” they had made in the entire Meta’s history.
Twitter, Snap, and Vimeo had also announced to cut off their employee workforce in the last few months, indicating that layoffs have been at an all time high even for huge tech giants and companies.
