Amazon to cut around 16,000 jobs in fresh round of lay-offs

Amazon has told staff it plans to cut around 16,000 jobs globally as part of efforts to streamline its operations.

It is the latest major round of lay-offs at the retail technology giant, coming only three months after it axed around 14,000 jobs.

It is understood the majority of jobs impacted by the latest cuts will be in the US but the UK operation will see some jobs axed.

The company did not disclose how many UK workers will be affected.

Beth Galetti, senior vice president of people experience and technology at Amazon, told staff in a blog post: “As I shared in October, we’ve been working to strengthen our organisation by reducing layers, increasing ownership and removing bureaucracy.

“Some of you might ask if this is the beginning of a new rhythm – where we announce broad reductions every few months. That’s not our plan.”

The announcement, which came after redundancy plans were accidentally shared with some staff in error on Tuesday, comes amid a backdrop of growing AI adoption within corporate operations.

Last year, boss Andy Jassy suggested Amazon was likely to reduce its staff count over the coming years as it increases its use of artificial intelligence for many tasks.

The company employed around 1.57 million at the end of September last year, with about 350,000 of these across its corporate workforce, while the majority of employees work in its warehouses.

It employs around 75,000 people across its operations in the UK.

Earlier this week, Amazon confirmed it would close its remaining Amazon Fresh and Go retail stores across the US, focusing instead on its Whole Foods store business.

Last September, Amazon announced the closure of its 19 Amazon Fresh stores across the UK, impacting around 250 jobs.

Rachel Fagan, organiser for the GMB union, said: “Amazon is showing itself for what it is – a company that cannot be trusted to do the right thing by working people in the UK.

“Now is the time for decision makers to see Amazon for what it is, a company fixated on eye-watering profits at the expense of workers and local people.”