
Amazon has started to lay off staff in India, just days after its Chief Executive Andy Jassy announced worldwide job cuts, according to media reports.
While the job cuts were set to begin after January 18, the e-commerce giant informed affected employees by email and promised five-month severance pay.
Amazon plans to cut about 1 per cent of employees in India as part of its larger layoffs accounting for about 6 per cent of its workforce worldwide, totalling 18,000 jobs.
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The employees in India were informed of their layoff by email and were asked to meet the leadership group for more clarity on the situation on a specific date.
Many employees laid off by Amazon in India took to social media sites, like LinkedIn and Twitter, looking for new opportunities.
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The layoffs were across cities in India, including new hires and experienced employees, with loss-making teams the most affected.
A separate Reuters report last week showed surging job cuts would make 2023 a challenging year for workforce diversity globally.
In recent years, big global firms stepped up hiring and prioritised diversity, equity and inclusion. But deep cost cuts, including layoffs, are risking corporate diversity pledges globally, which took years to take shape.
(With inputs from agencies)