Amazon has begun a new round of large-scale corporate workforce reductions that are having a significant impact on Washington state, where the company maintains its largest concentration of corporate employees and its primary headquarters. The layoffs come amid continued adjustments across the technology sector following the rapid expansion of corporate hiring during the pandemic years and subsequent efforts by major firms to streamline operations, manage costs, and restructure internal organisations.
In Washington, where technology employers play a central role in the regional economy, the reductions have drawn attention from state officials, labour regulators, and local business groups monitoring employment trends and broader economic effects.
According to a filing released by the Washington State Employment Security Department, Amazon is laying off 2,198 corporate employees across multiple facilities in the state. The filing was submitted under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act and Washington’s Securing Timely Notification and Benefits for Laid-Off Employees Act, which require advance notice for mass layoffs.
The document states that employee separations are scheduled to begin on April 28, 2026, and are expected to continue through late June. Amazon noted that employees who secure internal transfers before their separation dates will not ultimately be laid off.
The Washington reductions are part of a broader global workforce reduction affecting approximately 16,000 corporate employees. The company announced the wider layoffs last week, marking its second major corporate job cut in the past three months. In October, Amazon eliminated roughly 14,000 corporate roles worldwide. Combined, the two rounds represent the largest corporate workforce reduction in the company’s history. Amazon previously cut about 27,000 jobs globally between 2022 and 2023 as it scaled back after a period of rapid expansion.
The state filing provides a detailed breakdown of affected roles, showing that software development positions account for the largest share of the Washington layoffs. Engineering management, program management, and technical product roles are also heavily impacted. More than half of the cuts in the state affect Amazon’s core product and engineering organisations. The remaining positions span business intelligence, sales, marketing, infrastructure, quality assurance, human resources, design, and other corporate support functions. Senior- and principal-level employees are included among those affected, indicating that the reductions extend beyond entry- and mid-level roles.
Geographically, the majority of the Washington layoffs are concentrated in the Seattle area. More than 1,400 affected employees are based in Seattle, while more than 600 work in nearby Bellevue. Amazon has continued to expand its office footprint in Bellevue in recent years, even as it reassesses overall corporate staffing levels. The company employs approximately 50,000 corporate workers across the Seattle region, making it one of the largest private-sector employers in the state.
Amazon’s latest reductions follow a similar pattern to those announced in October, when 2,303 employees in Washington were laid off. Between the two rounds, the company has eliminated more than 4,500 corporate roles in the state in less than a year. Software engineers were also the largest group affected in the October cuts, although that earlier round included a broader range of corporate support and commercial functions. Positions in legal, tax, advertising sales, and the company’s gaming division were among those reduced last year, while the current layoffs are more heavily focused on the core technology organisation.
In a memo to employees sent last week, Amazon’s senior vice president of people experience and technology, Beth Galetti, said the company is continuing efforts that began last fall to simplify its organisational structure. The memo stated that Amazon is reducing layers of management, increasing individual ownership, and removing internal bureaucracy. Galetti acknowledged the difficulty of the announcement and said the company is working to support affected employees through transition benefits. For most U.S.-based employees, Amazon is offering a 90-day period to seek other roles within the company. Those who do not secure internal positions will receive severance pay, access to outplacement services, and continued health insurance benefits where applicable.
The memo also stated that while Amazon is reducing its corporate workforce in some areas, it will continue hiring and investing in functions it considers critical to its long-term business operations. Galetti said the company does not plan to announce broad workforce reductions on a recurring basis, but that teams will continue to evaluate staffing levels and organisational design as business conditions evolve.
Amazon reported strong financial results in its most recent quarterly earnings, with profits rising by nearly 40 per cent compared with the same period a year earlier. The company has attributed its improved margins to a combination of higher cloud services revenue, increased efficiency in its retail operations, and cost controls implemented across the business. The latest layoffs underscore the company’s efforts to balance financial performance with organisational changes following years of rapid growth.
The workforce reductions are occurring against a broader backdrop of job losses in the Seattle-area technology sector. Several major employers have announced layoffs in recent months as companies reassess staffing needs. T-Mobile disclosed plans to lay off nearly 400 workers, while Expedia and Meta reduced their workforces by hundreds of employees last month. Microsoft laid off more than 3,200 workers in Washington state last year as part of global cuts affecting approximately 15,000 employees.
Regional employment data indicate that these trends are having measurable effects. The Puget Sound Regional Council reported that the Seattle area lost 12,900 jobs across all sectors last year, marking the first annual decline in employment since 2009. Technology companies account for a significant share of the region’s high-paying jobs, and changes in corporate staffing levels can have ripple effects on housing, commercial real estate, and local businesses.
Local business groups have expressed concern about the broader economic impact of large-scale layoffs. Jon Scholes, president of the Downtown Seattle Association, said in a statement last week that workforce changes of this scale affect surrounding communities, particularly businesses that rely on daily office foot traffic. Amazon implemented a five-day return-to-office policy for corporate employees last year, a move that was welcomed by some downtown businesses but met with resistance from parts of the workforce. The latest layoffs may complicate efforts to revive activity in office districts already facing high vacancy rates.
Commercial real estate remains a particular concern in Seattle, where office vacancy rates have reached record levels following shifts in work patterns and corporate downsizing. Amazon is one of the city’s largest office tenants, and changes to its workforce have an outsized influence on demand for office space. Analysts have noted that sustained reductions in corporate headcount could prolong challenges for landlords and developers.
In addition to the corporate layoffs, Amazon is also cutting approximately 400 jobs in Washington state as part of its decision to close all Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh stores nationwide. Those layoffs are separate from the corporate reductions detailed in the WARN filing and affect retail employees rather than corporate staff. The store closures mark a further retrenchment in parts of Amazon’s physical retail strategy.
State officials have acknowledged receipt of the WARN notice and said affected workers may be eligible for unemployment benefits and retraining assistance through existing programs. Washington’s Employment Security Department provides resources for displaced workers, including job search assistance and information on health insurance options. The agency said it will continue to monitor compliance with notification requirements and coordinate with local workforce development partners.
Amazon has not released a complete list of affected job titles beyond what is included in the state filing, nor has it provided a detailed breakdown of layoffs by business unit at the global level. The company said employees will be notified individually and that separation dates may vary based on role and location. As separations begin later this spring, the impact on Washington’s labour market will become clearer through updated employment data and unemployment claims.
