Amazon has locked down hiring for this business; internal memo said: Any hiring requires ….

Amazon’s retail division has frozen its hiring budget for 2025, maintaining flat headcount operating expenses compared to 2024, according to an internal email obtained by Business Insider. The memo from a finance leader in Amazon’s retail unit stated that any hiring requires “strong supporting reasons” and will face intense scrutiny.

The hiring restrictions affect corporate employees across Amazon’s retail organization, including its online marketplace, logistics operations, and Fresh grocery business. However, the freeze doesn’t apply to warehouse workers or Amazon Web Services cloud division staff.