Amazon makes fresh job cuts, mainly in retail division

Amazon has announced it has reduced its workforce by what it described as a small number of positions, primarily within its retail division. The job cuts coincide with one of Amazon's largest shopping events, the Prime Big Deal Days, which took place from Tuesday to Wednesday and featured a range of discounts. The reductions come as part of a series of smaller layoffs since a larger round of 30,000 job cuts began last year, continuing into January.

Some impacted employees expressed their concerns on internal communication platforms, sharing details of the new developments. According to a source familiar with the situation, the company let go of fewer than 1,000 white-collar workers. Amazon cited the need to streamline its retail operations as the reason behind the cuts, stating that this structure will better enable them to achieve their goals.

The company's spokesperson confirmed the changes in an emailed statement. The move affected employees from various divisions within the Stores unit, including customer service and selling partner services, as well as other units across Amazon. Employees in the United States, India, and the United Kingdom were among those affected.

Amazon's founder and executive chairman, Jeff Bezos, acknowledged the necessity of the job cuts during a Fox News interview, attributing the necessity to the company's overhiring during the pandemic. He expressed appreciation for the team's efforts, emphasizing that they had grown significantly but had also expanded their workforce.