Amazon to cut more than 18,000 jobs globally

The company employs 5,000 people in Ireland

A company logo is seen at the entrance of Amazon, in Douai, northern France, on April 16, 2020. PIC: Michel Spingler, File

Amazon has announced that it is cutting 18,000 jobs – the biggest round of layoffs in the company's history.

The company employs around 5,000 people in Ireland,  including 500 in a fulfillment centre which opened in October 2022.

It is unclear as of yet what division will be affected by the layoffs, which will come into effect on January 18, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The move follows mass layoffs in recent months at other tech giants, including Meta, Twitter and Stripe, all of which have moved to reduce their workforces in recent months.

The layoffs will represent 1.2% of Amazon's overall tally of 1.5 million employees as of September.

In a note to employees, chief executive Andy Jassy confirmed that the e-commerce giant's brick-and-mortar stores – including Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go – will be especially impacted by the cuts.

Mr Jassy added in the note that planning "has been more difficult given the uncertain economy" and the company has "hired rapidly over the last several years".

“As part of our annual planning process for 2023, leaders across the company have been working with their teams and looking at their workforce levels, investments they want to make in the future, and prioritising what matters most to customers and the long-term health of our businesses.”

The blog post said the company would alert affected employees later this month.

"As part of our annual planning process for 2023, leaders across the company have been working with their teams and looking at their workforce levels, investments they want to make in the future, and prioritising what matters most to customers and the long-term health of our businesses." he said.

Mr Jassy added that he was “optimistic that we’ll be inventive, resourceful, and scrappy in this time when we’re not hiring expansively and eliminating some roles”