Amazon is laying off upwards of 14,000 people globally. An initial report suggested that job losses could amount to 35,000 and while the company officially confirmed less than half that number, there is room for more.
In a blog post announcing the cuts, the company said it expects “to continue hiring in key strategic areas while also finding additional places we can remove layers, increase ownership, and realize efficiency gains” next year.
This latest round of layoffs comes after the company began culling 27,000 employees in late 2022 around the globe.
How many were fired in Luxembourg? We don’t know.
The only indicator we have is that official staff numbers reported by statistics office Statec dropped from 4,570 to 4,270 between 2023 and 2024.
And now again, it’s anyone’s guess how many posts the company is seeking to scrap. Our colleagues at RTL went with an initial estimate of 100 at the end of October and upped that this week to 450, citing insider information.
Amazon declined to comment and the OGBL labour union, represented on the staff delegation, could also not confirm the number. Neither could Prime Minister Luc Frieden during a press briefing on Friday. In all fairness, the outcome is still subject to negotiation. It should be known, at least internally, when executives and staff representatives have concluded social plan talks. Where is that process at, which steps have been taken? We don’t know.
But why the secrecy?
When the only time you hear from a company is when it wants applause, that’s not transparency, it’s spin
That doesn’t just concern layoffs. Amazon is one of the largest employers in the country. But when queried about policy changes, draft laws, wage indexation, the labour market or recruitment trends, the company rarely engages in public debate. When it does, it’s through carefully scripted statements that reveal little.
When the only time you hear from a company is when it wants applause, that’s not transparency, it’s spin.
Amazon is happy to point out how great it has been for the Luxembourg economy and how many jobs it has created. And that is true. Credit where credit is due.
But Luxembourg as a “strategic partner” for Amazon is also a country that has long prided itself on dialogue between government, business and society. However distant it might be from the American hire and fire mentality, Luxembourg protects staff delegations, has enshrined labour talks in law and foresees protections under redundancy plans for mass layoffs. Talks for these plans are confidential, but being transparent about the process isn’t.
The silence breeds speculation. The number of layoffs reported by RTL has already resulted in an urgent parliamentary question filed by Green MP Sam Tanson and placed more public scrutiny on the company. Labour Minister Georges Mischo has now been tasked to seek talks with Amazon.
The bigwigs in Seattle probably don’t particularly care. But silence on dozens, perhaps hundreds, of people in Luxembourg losing their job feels less like discretion and more like disregard.