Amazon is set to lay off as many as 30,000 corporate employees this week, marking its biggest workforce reduction since 2022, when it eliminated around 27,000 positions. The move is part of a broader effort by the e-commerce and cloud major to streamline operations and rein in costs following a period of aggressive pandemic-era expansion.

Despite the looming layoffs, Amazon’s shares rose 1.23% to close at $226.97 on Monday, with a market capitalisation of $2.42 trillion. It is scheduled to announce its third-quarter earnings on Thursday, October 30, 2025.

According to multiple reports citing people familiar with the matter, the layoffs are expected to begin Tuesday (local time) and will impact a range of divisions, including human resources—known internally as People Experience and Technology (PXT)—along with operations, devices, services, and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Managers in affected teams reportedly underwent training on Monday to prepare for notifying staff via email.

The planned reductions represent around 10% of Amazon’s 350,000 corporate employees. The company, the world’s second-largest private employer, currently has more than 1.54 million staff globally.

The reports suggest that the move would constitute the largest round of layoffs in Amazon’s history and one of the biggest job cuts in the technology sector since 2020.

Data from Layoffs.fyi indicates that over 216 tech companies have collectively let go of approximately 98,000 employees so far in 2025, indicating continued consolidation across the industry.

Other major tech firms have also been trimming headcount in recent months. Microsoft has reportedly cut about 15,000 positions, Meta downsized 600 roles in its AI unit, Google shed over 100 design-related jobs in its cloud division, Salesforce eliminated 4,000 customer support roles, and Intel made the year’s largest single reduction with 22,000 layoffs.

Amazon’s latest restructuring push stems from a cost-optimisation drive launched by CEO Andy Jassy in 2022, aimed at reducing bureaucracy and improving efficiency. Over the past two years, the company has already eliminated about 27,000 jobs across its cloud, retail, devices, and communications segments.

Reports suggest the company also plans to shrink its human resources team by up to 15%.

While job cuts continue on the corporate side, Amazon is simultaneously ramping up hiring for the holiday season. The company recently announced plans to employ 250,000 seasonal workers to handle festive demand.