UPDATE - Amazon to lay off over 18,000 employees: CEO

ADDS CEO’s STATEMENT; REVISES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - US e-commerce giant Amazon will lay off more than 18,000 employees, CEO Andy Jassy said Wednesday.

"Between the reductions we made in November and the ones we’re sharing today, we plan to eliminate just over 18,000 roles," Jassy said in a release.

"Several teams are impacted; however, the majority of role eliminations are in our Amazon Stores and PXT (People, Experience, and Technology) organizations," he said.

"We are working to support those who are affected and are providing packages that include a separation payment, transitional health insurance benefits, and external job placement support," Jassy added.

Earlier, citing people familiar with the matter, The Wall Street Journal reported that over 17,000 jobs would be eliminated. The layoffs are focused in the company’s corporate ranks, it said.

In November, the Seattle-based company announced that it was beginning layoffs among its corporate workforce. The cuts were concentrated on its devices business, recruiting and retail operations, said the report.

According to the Journal, as of September, the company employed 1.5 million people, with a large percentage of them working in its warehouses.