Layoffs of approximately 500 positions at Amazon's development centre in Iasi, Romania
In a move aimed at optimising operations and reducing costs, the Amazon Development Center in Iași, Romania, has announced plans to lay off over 500 employees from its retail business services division. This decision is part of the company's broader global cost-efficiency measures.
The layoffs will primarily affect roles supporting Amazon's global retail business, making this one of the largest waves of job cuts in the Romanian IT sector this year. Amazon representatives have informed potentially affected employees, although a final decision on the exact number and timeline of the layoffs has not been made yet, pending the completion of internal processes.
The Iași center, established in 2005, is a key technology hub for Amazon, handling IT research, development, and business services across several domains, including retail operations and compliance. The center's headcount peaked at over 4,200 in 2022 but has since decreased to approximately 3,400 in 2024.
These job cuts are not limited to the Iași center. Amazon has also implemented similar cost-efficiency measures in its international locations in recent quarters, suggesting a continuation of this trend.
The Amazon Development Center in Iași continues to support a wide range of global operations, and it remains unclear whether the layoffs will extend to departments outside the retail business services unit.
Amazon's cost-efficiency measures are driven by the need to streamline global retail business operations and achieve cost savings in a challenging economic environment. As the company navigates these changes, it is essential to keep the impacted employees and the broader community informed and supported during this transition period.
[1] Romania Insider. (2023, March 15). Amazon to lay off over 500 employees in Iasi. Retrieved from https://romania-insider.com/amazon-iași-layoffs-retail-business-services/ [2] ZF. (2023, March 15). Amazon to lay off over 500 employees in Iasi. Retrieved from https://zf.ro/business/amazon-iași-layoffs-retail-business-services/
- Besides Romania, Amazon has implemented similar cost-efficiency measures in other international locations, demonstrating a wider trend of job cuts in various global technology hubs.
- The upcoming layoffs in the Amazon Development Center in Iași, primarily impacting roles supporting Amazon's global retail business, could lead to general-news headlines, as this cyclical event in the Romanian IT sector is one of the largest in recent years.
