--- title: "How Many Employees Does Amazon Have 2026: Workforce Growth" date: 2026-08-17 author: "Sofia Ramirez" featured_image: "https://sqmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/how-many-employees-does-amazon-have.jpg" categories: - name: "Technology" url: "/technology.md" tags: - name: "Statistics" url: "/tag/statistics.md" --- # How Many Employees Does Amazon Have 2026: Workforce Growth Amazon employed approximately 1,576,000 full-time and part-time employees as of December 31, 2025, according to the company’s annual report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. That ranks it among the largest private employers worldwide, yet below its 2021 peak. The data below traces every figure to Amazon’s SEC annual report filings and its own newsroom. It covers headcount by year, segment revenue, seasonal hiring, corporate layoffs, and the rising revenue each employee generates. ## Key Takeaways - [Amazon](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/amazon-statistics/) employed approximately **1,576,000** full-time and part-time employees as of December 31, 2025, per its SEC 10-K filing. - The workforce grew by **20,000** in 2025, a rise of about **1.29%** over the **1,556,000** reported a year earlier. - Amazon’s headcount remains roughly **32,000** below its 2021 peak of **1,608,000**, even as revenue kept climbing. - Net sales reached **$716,924 million** in 2025 against a near-flat headcount, lifting output per worker for a third straight year. - Amazon announced **14,000** corporate role cuts in October 2025 and about **16,000** more in January 2026, its largest reductions since 2022. - Amazon set out to hire **250,000** full-time, part-time, and seasonal US roles for the holiday season, far above its filed year-end count. ## Editor’s Choice - Amazon employed approximately **1,576,000** full-time and part-time employees worldwide as of December 31, 2025. - The company reported **1,556,000** employees a year earlier, as of December 31, 2024. - Amazon’s reported net sales reached **$716,924 million** in 2025, up **12%** year over year. - North America accounted for **$426,305 million** of 2025 net sales, the largest of the three reportable segments. - [AWS](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/aws-statistics/) generated **$128,725 million** in 2025 net sales. - International net sales accounted for **23%** of consolidated revenues in 2025. > **By the numbers:** Amazon’s FY2025 10-K reports approximately **1,576,000** full-time and part-time employees. Set against net sales of **$716,924 million**, that headcount has stayed near flat while revenue rose **12%** in 2025, lifting output per worker for a third straight year. ## Amazon Employee Count by Year - Amazon’s year-end headcount reached approximately **1,576,000** in 2025, the most recent figure in its SEC filings. - The company reported **1,608,000** employees at the close of 2021, its highest year-end total. - Headcount fell to **1,541,000** in 2022 and **1,525,000** in 2023 before recovering. - Amazon employed **1,298,000** at the end of 2020, after a pandemic hiring surge added roughly **500,000** in a single year. - The workforce stood at **798,000** in 2019 and just **341,400** in 2016, a near-fivefold rise across that span. - Each year-end figure reflects the full-time and part-time count Amazon discloses in the Human Capital section of its annual report. | Year-End | Full-Time and Part-Time Employees | |---|---| | 2025 | 1,576,000 | | 2024 | 1,556,000 | | 2023 | 1,525,000 | | 2022 | 1,541,000 | | 2021 | 1,608,000 | | 2020 | 1,298,000 | | 2019 | 798,000 | | 2018 | 647,500 | | 2017 | 566,000 | | 2016 | 341,400 | | 2015 | 230,800 | *Source: Amazon SEC Form 10-K filings, FY2015-FY2025* ## Amazon Workforce Growth and the 2021 Peak - Amazon’s headcount peaked at **1,608,000** at the close of 2021, the highest year-end total in its history. - The workforce then contracted for two straight years, falling to **1,525,000** by the end of 2023. - Headcount recovered to **1,556,000** in 2024 and **1,576,000** in 2025, still short of the 2021 high. - Amazon added roughly **500,000** employees in 2020 alone as pandemic demand surged across its fulfillment network. - The post-2021 plateau marks a clear break from the rapid expansion that took Amazon from **341,400** employees in 2016 to **1,608,000** in 2021. Year-End by Employees EMPLOYEES · Employees · Source: Amazon SEC Form 10-K filings, FY2019-FY2025 EMPLOYEES · SQ MAGAZINE ANALYSIS Year-End by Employees Employees Amazon SEC 2000000 1600000 1200000 800000 400000 0 2019: 2019 2020: 2020 2021: 2021 2022: 2022 2023: 2023 2024: 2024 2025: 2025 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 SOURCE Amazon SEC Form 10-K filings, FY2019-FY2025 Amazon’s 2025 workforce sits 32,000 below the 1,608,000 it reported at the end of 2021. The curve, a steep climb then a plateau, matches a pattern across our tech workforce coverage. ## Recent Developments - In October 2025, Amazon announced plans to cut approximately **14,000** corporate positions, reported as its largest round of job cuts since 2022. - In January 2026, Amazon announced a second round affecting about **16,000** corporate employees, the second large-scale reduction in three months. - Amazon attributed the January 2026 cuts to streamlining operations, reducing bureaucracy, and adapting to the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies. - Amazon recorded **$2.7 billion** in estimated severance costs in 2025, primarily related to planned role eliminations. - Over **300,000** Amazon employees worldwide have participated in Career Choice, the company’s education-funding program, as of its 2025 filing. - Amazon’s filed year-end headcount for 2025 predates the second-round corporate reductions announced in January 2026. > **Why it matters:** Amazon paired roughly 30,000 announced corporate cuts across October 2025 and January 2026 with a $2.7 billion severance charge, framing the reductions as an AI-era streamlining. The two rounds together rank as the company’s deepest corporate downsizing since 2022. ## Amazon Revenue by Segment and Workforce Output - Amazon’s North America segment generated **$426,305 million** in 2025 net sales, up from **$387,497 million** in 2024. - International net sales grew to **$161,894 million** in 2025 from **$142,906 million** a year earlier. - AWS reached **$128,725 million** in 2025, up from **$107,556 million** in 2024. - Total net sales rose to **$716,924 million** in 2025 from **$637,959 million** in 2024. - Amazon reported net income of **$77,670 million** in 2025, up from **$59,248 million** in 2024 and **$30,425 million** in 2023. - Operating income climbed to **$80.0 billion** in 2025 from **$68.6 billion** in 2024. - Cash capital expenditures rose to **$128.3 billion** in 2025 from **$77.7 billion** in 2024, much of it technology infrastructure. - North America net sales rose from **$387,497 million** in 2024 to **$426,305 million** in 2025, the segment that employs most of Amazon’s operational workforce. Segment by 2024 Net Sales ($M) 2024 NET SALES ($M) · 2024 Net Sales ($M) vs 2025 Net Sales ($M) · Source: Amazon FY2025 Form 10-K, Segment Information 2024 NET SALES ($M) · SQ MAGAZINE ANALYSIS Segment by 2024 Net Sales ($M) 2024 Net Sales ($M) vs 2025 Net Sales ($M) Amazon 400K 300K 200K 100K 0 387,497 North America 142,906 International 107,556 AWS SOURCE Amazon FY2025 Form 10-K, Segment Information ## Amazon Layoffs and Corporate Restructuring - Amazon’s October 2025 round cut approximately **14,000** corporate positions, the largest single reduction since 2022. - A second round in January 2026 affected about **16,000** corporate employees, the second large-scale cut in three months. - Amazon tied the January 2026 cuts to streamlining, reduced bureaucracy, and the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies. - The company booked **$2.7 billion** in estimated severance costs in 2025, primarily for planned role eliminations. - Operating income still rose to **$80.0 billion** in 2025, absorbing the severance charge and a **$2.5 billion** FTC settlement. Combined corporate cuts (October 2025 to January 2026) VALUE · Source: Amazon corporate announcements, October 2025 and January 2026 VALUE · SQ MAGAZINE SNAPSHOT Combined corporate cuts (October 2025 to January 2026) Amazon · 2025 30,000 SOURCE Amazon corporate announcements, October 2025 and January 2026 > **Worth noting:** Amazon recorded **$2.7 billion** in 2025 severance costs tied to planned role eliminations, alongside a **$2.5 billion** FTC settlement, yet operating income still climbed to **$80.0 billion**. The cuts read as efficiency, not distress, since profit rose despite both charges. ## Amazon Revenue Per Employee - Amazon’s 2025 net sales reached **$716,924 million** against approximately **1,576,000** employees. - The 2024 inputs were **$637,959 million** in net sales and **1,556,000** employees. - The 2023 inputs were **$574,785 million** in net sales and **1,525,000** employees. - Net income reached **$77,670 million** in 2025, up from **$59,248 million** the year before. | Year | Net Sales ($M) | Employees | Net Sales Per Employee | |---|---|---|---| | 2023 | 574,785 | 1,525,000 | ~$377,000 | | 2024 | 637,959 | 1,556,000 | ~$410,000 | | 2025 | 716,924 | 1,576,000 | ~$455,000 | *Source: Derived from Amazon FY2025 Form 10-K (net sales divided by year-end headcount)* > **The takeaway:** Amazon’s net sales per employee rose from about $377,000 in 2023 to roughly $455,000 in 2025 while the headcount barely moved. The widening gap between revenue and headcount is the clearest signal that the recent cuts are an output-per-head story, not a retreat from scale. ## Amazon Seasonal and Hourly Workforce - Amazon set out to hire **250,000** full-time, part-time, and seasonal roles across its US fulfillment and transportation operations for the holiday season. - Amazon said nearly one-third of people who join as a holiday hire return in a later season. - The company committed **$2.2 billion** to additional pay for fulfillment and transportation employees. - Average total hourly compensation reached more than **$29** when the value of elected benefits is included, per Amazon. - All seasonal employees earn at least **$18** per hour, with health-care coverage available after **90** days of employment. - Seasonal employees who stay can see an average pay increase of **15%** over their first three years, the company said. Amazon’s business is affected by seasonality, which historically has resulted in higher sales volume during its fourth quarter, ending December 31. The filed headcount is a single December 31 snapshot, so it understates seasonal churn. Against a far leaner AI-era operation like [OpenAI’s workforce](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/how-many-people-work-at-openai/), Amazon’s operational scale stands out. ## How Amazon Counts Its Workforce - Amazon’s reported headcount includes full-time and part-time employees and excludes independent contractors and temporary personnel. - The company states it uses independent contractors and temporary personnel to supplement its workforce beyond the reported total. - Amazon discloses the figure once a year, as of December 31, in the Human Capital section of its Form 10-K. - The count spans corporate staff, fulfillment and warehouse associates, and transportation roles supporting all three reportable segments. The headline number is a floor, not a ceiling: drivers employed by third-party Delivery Service Partners fall outside the reported total. ## Is Amazon’s Workforce Growing or Shrinking? Amazon’s workforce is growing in headline terms but stalling against its own history. The company added **20,000** employees in 2025 to reach approximately **1,576,000**, yet that total still trails the **1,608,000** it reported at the end of 2021. Growth is concentrated in operations as corporate ranks shrink. ## What Is Amazon’s Revenue Per Employee? Amazon’s 2025 net sales of **$716,924 million**, divided across roughly **1,576,000** employees, drive a revenue-per-employee ratio that has climbed every year since 2023. The figure works out to nearly $455,000, up from about $377,000 two years earlier. For a labor-light tech employer at the other end of the range, compare [Meta’s workforce data](https://sqmagazine.co.uk/how-many-people-work-at-meta/). ## Conclusion Amazon employed approximately **1,576,000** full-time and part-time people at the end of 2025. That total is up **20,000** on the year but still **32,000** below its 2021 peak of **1,608,000**. Paired with roughly 30,000 announced corporate cuts and rising revenue per employee, the figures point to a company optimizing output per head, not chasing raw headcount. The operational side still hires at scale, with **250,000** holiday roles posted and nearly one-third of seasonal hires returning. The story this year is less about how many people Amazon employs and more about how much each produces.