In the last few months, tens of thousands of job cuts have been announced at Amazon and UPS as they both undertake sweeping restructurings in 2025. These job cuts are part of a larger industry trend toward retrenchment, automation and strategic repositioning in response to economic pressures and technological change.
Amazon’s Job Cuts
Big business Amazon to slash 14,000 jobs this year after expanding staff by 500% – and even more cuts planned On average the firm hires over 1 million people a year The retail boss has said that it plans to cut around 1% of its workforce in each of the next four years Published: January 9th 2022 Facebook @theinsideleak Twitter @basescandal Share on social media In an amazing development, Fox News reported Saturday who is slated cutting down more than just trees. The firm is striving to streamline the business, reduce red tape and redirect resources towards AI and automation projects. CEO Andy Jassy has underscored the company’s push toward automation, with a plan to automate about 600,000 jobs by 2033. The vast majority of those getting the pink slips are corporate or administrative staff: so far, warehouse workers mostly remain unscathed.
UPS Restructuring and Job Reductions
UPS has implemented a massive reorganization, eliminating about 48,000 jobs in 2025, including about 34,000 positions handling day-to-day operations —such as drivers and warehouse workers —and another 14,000 management posts. The reductions are tied to a more than 50% cut in Amazon deliveries during the latter half of 2026, as UPS moves to eliminate unprofitable routes and improve efficiency. The company has also closed 93 plants across the U.S. and added more automation in several hubs.
Broader Industry Impact
The Amazon and UPS layoffs are part of a wider trend that could eliminate more than 112,000 tech and logistics jobs by 2025, as other industries such as technology, auto manufacturing and consumer goods will also witness a widespread streamlining. These trends—the death of the 9-5 job, below average wage gains and the impact of AI on wage growth—reflect a reversal of previous dynamics in the U.S. labor market (i.e., going from no-hire, no-fire to more uncertainty between “rehires,” even on basic job safety) by such things as falling global trade levels, tariffs, pervasive adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and a slowing economy.
This massive reshuffling at Amazon and UPS signals a shift in strategy toward automation and cost cutting as shipping volumes decline and technology changes, with these two companies alone shedding more than 62,000 jobs this year.