UPS, Amazon laying off tens of thousands. Will Idaho workers be affected?
UPS Inc. plans to cut 30,000 jobs this year as it aims to reduce its reliance on shipments from Amazon, once its largest customer. UPS said Tuesday that the layoffs come as it expects to deliver fewer packages for the e-commerce giant.
And Amazon announced its own layoffs Wednesday. The company, founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, said it would trim about 16,000 corporate employees.
“As I shared in October, we’ve been working to strengthen our organization by reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy,” Beth Galetti, Amazon’s senior vice president of people, experience and technology, wrote in a blog post shared with employees. “While many teams finalized their organizational changes in October, other teams did not complete that work until now.”
It’s unclear how many workers in the Boise area could be affected. Zoë Hoffmann, a spokesperson for Amazon, told the Idaho Statesman by email that the company isn’t breaking down the impacts by state.
Galetti said the company will offer most of its U.S.-based employees 90 days to search for a new role internally with the company. Those who can’t find another job at Amazon or choose not to look for one will receive severance pay and other support as they transition out of their jobs, she said.
Amazon, headquartered in Seattle and Arlington, Virginia, has a huge operational footprint in the Treasure Valley, including three fulfillment centers, three delivery stations and a Whole Foods Market. Its latest warehouse in northeast Nampa can deliver packages within five hours of ordering. The site uses cutting-edge automation technologies and robotics to rapidly process customers’ orders.
The company employs over 4,000 full- and part-time workers in Idaho, according to an Amazon fact sheet. The sheet says Amazon supports another 3,000-plus jobs in the state in industries such as construction, logistics and professional services.
Atlanta-based UPS says the vast majority of its cuts will be accomplished through attrition.
“These plans include an assessment of our entire US network,” Karen Tomaszewski Hill, a company spokesperson, told the Statesman by email. “I do not have information regarding any closures in Idaho at this time. Please keep in mind, this assessment is ongoing and information is subject to change.”
Tomaszewski Hill did not respond to a question about how many people the company employs in the Boise area. UPS has about 443,000 employees in the U.S., according to a company fact sheet. More than 70% of those are represented by unions.
