Amazon to Layoff 18,000 Employees: Impact and Responses

Amazon's workforce of over 800,000 employees has seen a decrease of 18,000 from January to November 2020. The layoffs were prompted by a lack of demand for certain products and services due to the pandemic. The e-commerce giant has been forced to restructure its business model to survive the economic downturn.

Recall that Amazon is an online retail company. Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, Amazon is now one of the largest online retailers in the world, with sales in more than 190 countries. Amazon offers a variety of products, from books and electronics to apparel and furniture.

The majority of the layoffs occurred within Amazon Web Services (AWS), the company's cloud computing division. AWS accounted for over 75% of the total layoffs. Amazon also laid off workers from other divisions, such as fulfillment centers, customer service, and marketing. The company stated that the job losses were necessary to remain competitive in the current economic environment.

Amazon also announced that it would be hiring 75,000 new employees in 2021. The majority of these positions will be in customer service, fulfillment centers, and logistics. The company is hoping to make up for the lost jobs by creating new ones. 

The layoffs have caused a great deal of stress for the affected employees. Many are now seeking unemployment benefits and applying for other positions within the company. Amazon has offered assistance to those who have been laid off, including career counseling and financial assistance.

Amazon's layoffs have had a major impact on its workforce. While the company has taken steps to assist those affected, the job losses are sure to be felt for some time. It remains to be seen how the company will adjust to the new economic environment.