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Amazon has never hidden its appetite for automation, but the scale of its ambitions is dizzying. According to confidential documents and testimonies from executives cited by the New York Timesthe behemoth would like to replace around 600,000 jobs with machines by 2033 in the United States. However, the group expects to double its sales volume over the same period, a sign that these “avoided” jobs will not be the result of a slowdown, but of a completely assumed industrial shift.
Forced automation
As a first step, Amazon plans to eliminate 160,000 jobs by 2027, or nearly a sixth of its current U.S. workforce. This transformation would allow the company to save 30 cents per product shipped, for a total estimated at $12.6 billion between 2025 and 2027. 30 cents doesn’t seem like much, but it ends up being quite a sum when multiplied by the number of packages.
Amazon’s plan calls for automating 75% of the company’s operations, from warehouses to packaging to last-mile logistics. The model already exists: in Shreveport, Louisiana, Amazon opened an ultra-modern warehouse where robots already replace a quarter of the workforce. The company plans to duplicate this formula in around forty sites by 2027.
The firm, however, assures that the remaining jobs will be better qualified. Positions for robotic operators or mechatronics technicians are better paid — on average, $24.45 per hour, compared to $19.50 for a traditional employee — and require specific training. More than 5,000 employees have already followed an internal program since 2019. But this requalification will not be enough to compensate for all the cuts. The positions eliminated mainly concern low-skilled workers and often from minorities, they are the ones who form the basis of Amazon’s logistics workforce.
Faced with criticism, Amazon is trying to improve its image. Internal documents mention a communication strategy aimed at avoiding the words “automation” and “artificial intelligence”, replaced by more neutral expressions such as “advanced technology” or “cobot”, a contraction of “collaborative robot”. The company would also consider increasing local actions, such as donations or community events to maintain its image as a “good citizen”.
Officially, the group denies any massive reduction. “ Leaked documents do not reflect our current hiring strategy “, assures an Amazon spokesperson, who recalls that the company plans another 250,000 seasonal recruitments for the end-of-year holidays. Without commenting on long-term hiring prospects.
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