Amazon.com Inc. said it will eliminate 16,000 corporate roles, adding to a wave of job reductions across the technology sector as companies continue to unwind pandemic-era hiring and restructure their workforces for slower growth.

The latest cuts bring Amazon’s total announced layoffs since October to 30,000 employees, placing the company among the largest technology firms to extend workforce reductions into 2026. The job cuts affect Amazon’s global corporate workforce, including divisions such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), and follow an earlier round of 14,000 layoffs disclosed late last year.

Amazon said the reductions are part of a broader effort to flatten management structures, reduce bureaucracy, and speed up decision-making. The company has emphasized that the cuts are aimed at corporate roles rather than frontline fulfillment or warehouse staff and are not intended to become a recurring series of layoffs.

The announcement reflects a broader recalibration across the technology industry, where companies that expanded aggressively during the pandemic are now adjusting to more moderate demand, higher labor costs, and pressure from investors to improve efficiency. Amazon’s corporate workforce totaled about 350,000 employees as of Sept. 30, according to regulatory filings.

The workforce reductions coincide with changes to Amazon’s business strategy, particularly in physical retail. The company is scaling back its Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go grocery formats in the United States after determining that the operations had not produced a scalable or profitable model. Some locations may be converted into Whole Foods stores, which Amazon acquired in 2017.

Internally, the restructuring aligns with tighter workplace policies, including a shift to a five-day in-office requirement for corporate staff, signaling a move away from more flexible pandemic-era arrangements.

Amazon shares edged lower following the announcement, as investors continued to monitor cost discipline and margin performance across the technology sector.

The move adds to a growing list of workforce reductions among large technology firms, highlighting how the post-pandemic labor market in tech is moving from rapid expansion toward leaner staffing, flatter hierarchies, and a stronger emphasis on execution and profitability.

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