Amazon plans robotics push to avoid 160,000 U.S. hires by 2027

Amazon is planning a major expansion of robotics across its U.S. operations that company documents suggest could allow it to avoid hiring more than 600,000 workers over the next decade, with roughly 160,000 roles expected to be unnecessary by 2027. The internal planning materials, reviewed by reporters, show Amazon’s robotics team aims to automate about 75 percent of its operations as the company prepares to handle roughly twice as many items by 2033.

The documents outline a stepped timeline in which automation would reduce the need to add staff even as volume grows. By 2027, Amazon projects avoiding the hiring of about 160,000 U.S. employees, saving an estimated 12.6 billion between 2025 and 2027, a figure the company says amounts to roughly 30 cents of savings per item picked, packed, and delivered. Executives told board members they expected those efficiency gains to allow the company to keep its U.S. head count relatively flat despite forecasted growth in sales. Amazon currently employs nearly 1.2 million people in the United States, most in warehouse and delivery roles.

At some of the most automated facilities, human involvement is already limited. Internal materials...