Made a ‘difficult decision’ to eliminate a ‘small number’ of jobs: Amazon

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The cuts are the latest ‌in a series of small reductions since ‌a ⁠larger round of 30,000 job cuts ⁠that began last year and continued into January [File] | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Amazon on Thursday (October 8, 2026) said it has adjusted parts of its Stores business, to accommodate a subsequent team structuring, and made a “difficult decision’’ to eliminate a small number of jobs.

“We’ve adjusted parts of our Stores business because we believe this structure will better enable us to deliver on our priorities. As part of these changes, we’ve made the difficult decision to eliminate a small number of roles...’’ Amazon spokesperson told The Hindu in response to a query on the company’s plans to cut fewer than 1,000 stores-related white-collar jobs globally and its impact on India.

“We’re always looking at our team structures to ensure we’re best set up to move fast as we innovate for customers,’’ the spokesperson further said ensuring that the company would be committed to supporting affected employees through their transition.

These fresh job cuts are focused on its Stores division, which oversees the company’s e-commerce business, as part of a broader restructuring aimed at reshaping teams around its current priorities.

Although the Seattle-based retailer has not disclosed the exact number of employees affected in individual countries, the latest layoff is likely to impact jobs in various geographies including India, the U.S. and UK. Amazon had earlier carried out a wider restructuring, started last year and went on till January this year, which impacted around 30,000 jobs globally.

In a recent Fox ‌News interview, Jeff Bezos, the founder and executive chairman of Amazon, said continued job cuts have been necessary because the company overhired during the pandemic.

Meanwhile , Reuters reported that the company’s internal Slack channel suggested a number of divisions within Stores were involved, ‌including customer service and selling partner services, and possibly other units across Amazon .It also reported, employees in the U.S., India and the U.K. were among those getting pink slips.

Amazon’s layoff announcement has coincided with its annual retail event: the Great Indian Festival in India and the Prime Big Deal Days in the U.S.

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