Technology giant Amazon has started laying off staff, according to LinkedIn posts by workers who say they have been impacted by job cuts.
This week it was reported that the company is planning to cut 10,000 jobs, or around 3% of its office staff.
Amazon did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment.
It comes as thousands of jobs are being shed across the technology industry as firms see sales slow amid growing concerns about an economic downturn.
Posts seen by the BBC include those from employees in Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant business, Luna cloud gaming platform division and Lab126 – the operation behind the Kindle e-reader.
One employee, who said that she worked as a software development engineer in the US, posted that she was looking for a new job: “Due to the nature of my visa, I have a limited time to lookout for new work opportunities.”
Another Amazon worker who said they had been impacted by the layoffs said: “Of course I am saddened, yet optimistic about the future because I know this means good change for me and others on my team.”
The company had already introduced a hiring freeze and halted some of its warehouse expansions, warning it had over-hired during the pandemic.
It had also taken steps to shut some parts of its business, cancelling projects such as a personal delivery robot.
Last month Amazon’s founder and chairman Jeff Bezos warned that the US economy was sending a signal to “batten down the hatches”.
Amazon’s share price has fallen by more than 40% this year as it grapples with a slowdown in online sales.
Other major technology companies have already announced major layoffs as they cut costs.
Last week Meta – which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – announced that it would cut 13% of its workforce.
The first mass lay-offs in the firm’s history will result in 11,000 employees losing their jobs.
Shortly after Elon Musk took over Twitter it was confirmed that he would cut the social media platform’s headcount by around 50%.
In recent weeks technology giant Microsoft, payment processing platform Stripe and cloud-based business software firm Salesforce have also announced layoffs.
‘Amazon is very, very bloated’
One Seattle-based technology industry insider, who wished to remain anonymous, told the BBC that the job market had changed significantly in recent weeks.
“The last two years has been great for job opportunities because of remote work meaning you don’t have to isolate a job search to your local area. So that’s seen the scramble for talent be very competitive and wages have gone up really high.”
“What we’re seeing now is a contraction in budgets and staffing.”
He said some technology firms companies, including Amazon, are likely to be hit particularly hard.
“Amazon is very, very bloated. So there’s lots of people there but they’re not providing a lot of value so they’re first on the chopping block.”
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Is Anthony Odiong still a priest after life in prison sentence over rape?")