Amazon makes fresh job cuts, mainly in retail division

Amazon announced on October 7 that it had made recent job cuts, primarily within its retail division, according to a report by Reuters. The layoffs were confirmed to be a small number of employees, with sources indicating fewer than 1,000 white-collar workers were affected. This comes after a series of other small reductions following a larger round of 30,000 job cuts that began in 2025 and extended into January.

The closures took place during one of Amazon's biggest shopping days, the Prime Big Deal Days, which ran from October 6 to October 7 and offered various discounts. The company's spokesperson stated that the restructuring was done to better support Amazon's objectives, suggesting changes within divisions like customer service, selling partner services, and potentially other units across the organization.

Employees in the U.S., India, and Britain were among those who received notification of their termination. Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder and executive chairman, explained during a Fox News interview aired on October 7 that the need for job reductions emerged from the company overhiring during the pandemic, leading to an excessive workforce. Bezos noted the team's hard work and significant efforts during the challenging period, but acknowledged that the company had significantly expanded its headcount.