Amazon Layoffs: 'We plan to eliminate just over 18,000 roles,' says CEO Andy Jassy

Given "the uncertain economy" and the fact that the retail behemoth has "hired fast over the last several years," Amazon said on Wednesday that it will eliminate more than 18,000 positions from its employees.

CEO's statement

"I expected there would be more role reductions in early 2023. We typically wait to communicate about these outcomes until we can speak with the people who are directly impacted. However, because one of our teammates leaked this information externally, we decided it was better to share this news earlier so you can hear the details directly from me," said Jassy. "We intend on communicating with impacted employees (or where applicable in Europe, with employee representative bodies) starting on January 18," he added.

Jassy also said that the company is working out a way to support those who will be affected by providing packages that will include transitional health insurance benefits, seperation payment and external job placement suppport.

Amazon employees more than 1.6 million globally

The tech giant, which employs more than 1.6 million globally, will likely show the door to staff from various departments. These include distribution workers, corporate executives, and technology staff.

Layoff to impact employees at all levels

The impacted employees will be informed starting on January 18, and the layoffs will impact employees at all levels in the company. Some of the employees in Europe will be affected by the layoffs said Jassy.

One of the biggest layoff's ever

Previously, the New York Times reported that Amazon was planning to fire as many as 10,000 employees, which would have been the biggest layoff in the technology company's history. However, now the report states that the number of laid-off employees could be doubled.