Amazon lays off hundreds of employees in Europe: programmers hit

Amazon plans to lay off 370 employees at its European headquarters in Luxembourg, representing about 8.5% of the staff, reports Bloomberg. Initially, the company intended to cut 470 people, but according to EU legislation, layoffs must be agreed upon with employee representatives and, in some cases, with the government.

What is known

In an internal memo, Amazon stated that this adjustment is in line with business needs and local strategies. The company also claims to offer severance packages that significantly exceed the average industry standards in Luxembourg.

Employees who have come from other countries and do not find new jobs within three months will be forced to leave the country. One employee noted that the influx of such a large number of specialists onto the job market simultaneously will significantly complicate finding new employment.

The cuts mainly concern software developers. In October, Amazon announced plans to cut 14,000 employees as part of a major transition to artificial intelligence. It was also reported that Amazon's business automation could threaten up to half a million jobs in the U.S.

Source: Bloomberg