Amazon job cuts to exceed 18,000 roles: CEO

Amazon.com has increased its planned layoffs to over 18,000 roles which would largely impact its e-commerce and human resources organizations.

According to CEO Andy Jassy, they will communicate the layoffs starting January 18.

The cuts amount to 6 percent of Amazon’s roughly 300,000 corporate personnel.

Amazon recently doubled its base pay ceiling to compete more aggressively for talent.

Jassy attributed their difficulties to the uncertain economy and that we’ve hired rapidly over the last several years.”

Amazon, the second-largest private employer in the US after Walmart, has over 1.5 million workers including warehouse staff.

It began letting staff go in November from its devices division, where it was targeting 10,000 job cuts.