Register to get free articles
Want unlimited access? View Plans
Already have an account? Sign in
Amazon is laying off hundreds of corporate employees at its Seattle headquarters as the company shifts resources into faster-growing areas of the business.
According to the Seattle Times sources have told them that the jobs cut at the online retail giant will number around the low hundreds and will be primarily focused on Amazon’s consumer retail businesses.
However there is no indication of which specific teams will be affected and whether or not this will affect Amazon employees in the UK.
Two people familiar with the matter told The Seattle Times Amazon had determined through planning for 2018 that certain areas of its business no longer needed as much staff for the results it was seeking.
They were also told that many of Amazon’s corporate jobs are going to areas of fast-growing profit, such as areas that work on its voice assistant software Alexa.
Amazon currently employs about 40,000 people in Seattle, and 560,000 worldwide. The online retail giant currently has 3,900 vacancies in Seattle, and it is thought staff facing job cuts will be able to apply for them.
In a statement to The Seattle Times Amazon acknowledged the cuts, saying: “As part of our annual planning process, we are making head count adjustments across the company — small reductions in a couple of places and aggressive hiring in many others.
“For affected employees, we work to find roles in the areas where we are hiring.”
The news comes after Amazon announced its best ever quarter earlier this month with profits almost reaching $2bn (£1.42bn) for the first time in the company’s history.
