Amazon cuts 18,000 jobs including in Europe

Amazon Center in New York (illustration photo).

AP - Bebeto Matthews

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

Downsizing is on the rise in the technology sector in the United States.

After Snapchat, Twitter and the IT group Salesforce, it is the turn of the e-commerce giant, Amazon, to announce the loss of more than 18,000 jobs, including in Europe.

The job cut plan, Amazon's second in two months, is the biggest among recent announcements.

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Without indicating which positions will be eliminated, the press release from Amazon management states that the employees affected or their representatives in Europe could be contacted before January 18. 

Numbers doubled

First cause of this job cut plan: economic uncertainty, says Amazon, while in recent years the company has practically doubled its workforce.

The group has indeed recruited with a vengeance during the pandemic to meet an explosion in demand.

At the end of September, the group had just over one and a half million employees worldwide, to which must be added seasonal workers recruited in particular during the holiday season. 

Big budget problems

The online sales giant is looking to cut costs, while all the major platforms whose business model is based on advertising are facing major budgetary problems.

Advertisers are reducing their spending under pressure from inflation, but also because of rapidly rising interest rates.

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