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https://www.whatjobs.com/news/usa/us-business-news/amazon-recruiters-reveal-unemployment-fears-as-company-cuts-18000-jobs
Amazon employees, especially those in recruiting, are increasingly looking for jobs as the tech giant announced massive layoffs.
Some are enabling #OpenToWork on LinkedIn while still working for the company.
This move by Amazon staff reveals how worried they are by the upcoming job cuts.
READ MORE: AMAZON TO CUT OVER 18,000 JOBS AS PART OF COST SAVINGS
One recruiting coordinator from Amazon, Kayla Look said on LinkedIn her anxiety was intense when layoffs were announced in November.
The job insecurity began when the company implemented a hiring freeze earlier that month.
But any hopes of survival were dashed when Amazon confirmed that it would be cutting 18,000 jobs instead of the initial 10,000.
She said: “It’s been two and a half months since the worry of being laid off first started.”
READ MORE: AMAZON LOOKS AT NEW WAY TO CUT WORKFORCE THROUGH VOLUNTARY BUYOUTS
She was encouraged to search for other opportunities when one of her managers posted #OpenToWork on LinkedIn.
Look said: “She’s one of my leaders — I should follow after her if she doesn’t seem confident in our odds.
“Because I’m still new to the workforce, I felt like if I do this I’m not showing loyalty and therefore I’m going to get cut.
“But no — it gave me reassurance that it’s ok to look out for yourself.”
Amazon says it was a "difficult decision" to terminate employees.
READ MORE: AMAZON PLANNING FOR MASSIVE LAYOFFS HITTING 10,000 STAFF
CEO Andy Jassy said: “We don’t take these decisions lightly or underestimate how much they might affect the lives of those who are impacted.”
The massive cuts will mainly hit its People, Experience, and Technology department.
Many employees at the e-commerce behemoth are using LinkedIn for job hunting.
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A career coach at the firm, Robin Ryan says the recruiter’s job is challenging: “The churn there is unbelievable. Most of it’s quitting, it’s a very stressful place to work.”
Recruiters have a large number of positions to fill, many of which are highly technical and require extensive sourcing and rigorous interviews.
Ryan observed that those who had been exposed to months of uncertainty are likely to develop resentment.
Many have taken voluntary buyouts as the Seattle-based company is exploring ways to shrink the workforce.
Source: Bloomberg
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