Amazon Global Communications Operations Undergo Layoffs

deadline.com:

EXCLUSIVE: There are layoffs happening today across Amazon communications divisions domestically and in several other countries, sources tell Deadline.

We hear that more than 5% of the workforce is impacted in the communications divisions of Amazon Studios, Prime Video and Music. “We regularly review the structure of our teams and make adjustments based on the needs of the business and, following a recent review, we’ve made the difficult decision to eliminate a small number of roles on our communications team,” Amazon spokesperson Brad Glasser said in a statement. “We’re grateful to these employees for their contributions, and we’re focused on supporting them in their next steps.” Per Amazon, affected employees will receive their pay and benefits for 60 days and will be eligible for a severance package, transitional benefits and job-placement support.

Amid industry-wide contraction in the tech sector, layoffs have been continuing steadily at Amazon during the past year. The company eliminated about 18,000 positions from November 2022-January 2023 and in late March, Amazon announced plans for 9,000 additional layoffs.

Their primary targets were expected to be cloud computing, human resources, advertising and Twitch live-streaming businesses.