Online retail giant Amazon announced that it will lay off employees totaling more than 18,000 people with the company.
The layoffs are expected to affect multiple departments including Amazon Stores and the company's human resources employees.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said in a statement released on Wednesday, "leaders across the company have been working with their teams and looking at their workforce levels, investments they want to make in the future, and prioritizing what matters most to customers and the long-term health of our businesses."
Amazon called the lay offs "role reductions," and said the next round of layoffs, coupled with those previously announced in November, are included in the 18,000 person figure.
Jassy said in the statement, "We don’t take these decisions lightly or underestimate how much they might affect the lives of those who are impacted. We are working to support those who are affected and are providing packages that include a separation payment, transitional health insurance benefits, and external job placement support."
Jassy said that because an Amazon employee leaked information about this latest round of layoffs, it caused him to have to make the announcement before speaking directly with employees, saying, "We typically wait to communicate about these outcomes until we can speak with the people who are directly impacted."