Amazon to cut up to 30,000 corporate jobs as part of restructuring drive

Amazon is reportedly preparing to cut as many as 30,000 corporate jobs, beginning 28 October 2025, according to a report by Reuters.

The move comes as the company seeks to reduce expenses and offset overhiring during the pandemic-driven boom.

An internal memo from Beth Galetti, senior vice-president overseeing human resources, confirmed that about 14,000 positions will be eliminated in the first phase.

The figure represents around 10% of Amazon’s 350,000 corporate employees, though less than 2% of its total global workforce of 1.55 million.

This marks Amazon’s largest job reduction since late 2022, when it cut 27,000 roles following rapid expansion during the pandemic.

Galetti stated in a letter to employees that affected staff will have 90 days to apply for new internal roles. The company will offer severance pay, outplacement support, and health benefits to retrenched employees.

She said the cuts are part of a restructuring aimed at “reducing bureaucracy and reporting layers” and reallocating resources to Amazon’s “biggest bets”, though she did not name specific areas.

In Singapore, over 7,000 technology and corporate workers have already been laid off in 2025, according to official statistics, with Amazon among major firms affected.

The company employs around 2,500 people in Singapore, its Asia-Pacific headquarters.

Galetti added that Amazon would continue to hire in strategic areas in 2026, aligning with earlier remarks from chief executive Andy Jassy.

In 2024, Amazon generated revenues of US$638 billion (S$826 billion) and operating profits exceeding US$68 billion.

Explaining the job cuts despite strong earnings, Galetti noted: “The world is changing quickly. This generation of AI is the most transformative technology since the internet. We must be leaner and faster to serve our customers.”

According to Reuters, the upcoming layoffs will affect several divisions, including People Experience and Technology (PXT), operations, devices, and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Managers in these departments reportedly received training on how to communicate the changes to staff, with notifications beginning this week.

CEO Andy Jassy has long advocated for reducing what he describes as “excess bureaucracy”.

Earlier this year, he revealed that an anonymous feedback system had produced 1,500 employee submissions and 450 process improvements.

Jassy also acknowledged in June that the increased use of artificial intelligence would lead to further automation and potential job reductions. 

The final number of layoffs may still change, depending on financial priorities, according to sources familiar with the matter. Fortune reported that the human resources division could see a reduction of up to 15%.

Additionally, Amazon’s return-to-office mandate requiring employees to work five days per week has not led to the attrition expected. Some employees who failed to comply are being classified as having “voluntarily quit”, allowing Amazon to avoid paying severance.

Data from Layoffs.fyi indicate that around 112,732 technology jobs have been cut globally in 2025 across 218 companies. In 2024, the figure was 153,000.

Amazon’s AWS division remains its most profitable arm, generating second-quarter sales of US$30.9 billion, up 17.5% year on year. However, this growth lags behind Microsoft’s Azure at 39% and Google Cloud at 32%.

AWS faced a 15-hour outage last week that disrupted several major online services, including Snapchat and Venmo.

Despite the restructuring, Amazon expects strong seasonal performance, planning to hire 250,000 temporary workers for the upcoming holiday period — the same number as in the previous two years.