Workforce woes | Amazon fears it could 'run out of employees' very soon

Amazon fears it could run out of warehouse workers in the US within two years, according to leaked reports.

First reported by Recode, the retail & logistics behemoth said in an internal research report: “If we continue business as usual, Amazon will deplete the available labor supply in the US network by 2024”.

How well founded are the concerns? Data previously reported by the New York Times shows that, pre-pandemic, Amazon was losing roughly three percent of its workforce weekly, or 150% annually. Comparatively the annual average turnover in transportation, warehousing and utilities was 49% in 2021, and 64% in retail services.

In the past, ex-chief Jeff Bezos actually welcomed high turnover, describing the idea of having too many long-term staff as “a march to mediocrity” as these workers were more likely to become complacent.