Amazon trimming Music division after several rounds of layoffs

After eliminating thousands of jobs in 2023, Amazon is continuing to scale back its staffing levels.

According to news outlets, including Reuters, the e-commerce giant is laying off more employees in its Music division.

A company spokesperson wouldn’t disclose how many workers are affected, but said staff in North America, Latin America, and Europe have received notices.

“We have been closely monitoring our organizational needs and prioritizing what matters most to customers and the long-term health of our businesses,” the representative said in a statement.

“Some roles have been eliminated on the Amazon Music team. We will continue to invest in Amazon Music.”

The update comes roughly a month after Amazon reduced the size of its communications team in October, which included members of its Music division.

It remains unclear if any Canadian employees are affected by the latest round of job cuts.

Major tech layoffs continue

Amazon has reported substantial layoffs over the past year. After cutting approximately 10,000 jobs last November, the e-commerce giant trimmed its headcount further in January and March.

The company’s livestreaming platform, Twitch, also reportedly completed an “unexpected layoff” in October.

Amazon isn’t alone. Several major North American tech companies, including Ubisoft, Bungie, Splunk, Nokia, LinkedIn, Google, Dell, Telus, and Meta, have significantly scaled back their staffing levels as they continue to navigate challenging economic conditions.

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• Where are layoffs happening in Canada?

Termination agreements for Amazon employees

In Canada, non-unionized employees at Amazon are owed full severance pay when they lose their jobs due to downsizing, corporate restructuring, or the closure of the business.

This includes individuals working full-time, part-time, or hourly in Ontario, Alberta, and B.C.

People working “on contract” or as a contractor may also be owed severance pay — given that many employees in Canada are often misclassified as independent contractors.

Severance can be as much as 24 months’ pay, depending on a number of factors.

LEARN MORE
• Rights to severance for provincially regulated employees
• Severance entitlements during mass layoffs
• Severance packages in a recession

WATCH: Employment lawyer Lior Samfiru explains what rights employees have if they are being fired or let go on an episode of the Employment Law Show.

Before you accept any severance offer, have an experienced employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP review it and your employment contract.

We can tell you if what you have been provided is fair and how to get proper severance if it falls short of what you are actually owed.

If you don’t receive the full amount, which happens often, you have been wrongfully dismissed and are entitled to compensation.

In some cases, employers pressure staff into accepting poor severance packages, such as imposing a deadline for accepting the offer.

Non-unionized employees in Canada have up to two years from the date of their dismissal to pursue a claim for full severance pay.