Dive Brief:
- Amid company job cuts, Amazon announced Future Ready 2030, a $2.5 billion commitment to upskilling for its employees and those outside the company, according to a company post published Oct. 23 by Beth Galetti, senior vice president of people experience and technology.
- Amazon also said it would expand its Career Choice program to all salaried workers in the U.S. Hourly workers already had access to the program, which helps employees obtain degrees and certificates “in in-demand fields,” the company said.
- Less than a week later, Amazon announced that it will cut 14,000 roles, but the company also said it would focus on internal hiring for open positions for those affected by the cuts.
Dive Insight:
The combination of announcements out of Amazon may speak to the growing influence of artificial intelligence as a workforce engine.
Employees want training, various reports show, most especially in AI. Back in March, employees said they couldn’t keep up with the way employers wanted to use AI, blaming a lack of training. Meanwhile, more recent studies indicated that a continued lack of training may be holding workers and employers back.
Notably, Amazon pointed to AI as a reason for streamlining its workforce, particularly the “rapid rate of change” that the technology has enabled.
Training moved lower on the priority list for employers, however, according to HR Dive’s 2025 Identity of HR survey, meaning employers may be dealing with skill deficits for some time.
