Amazon has made the decision to close one of its warehouses located in Tukwila, Washington, just south of Seattle. The closure was confirmed after a filing with the state Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) system revealed that 172 employees at the facility, known as UWA5, would be laid off.
According to Amazon spokesperson Sam Stephenson, the affected employees will be given the opportunity to transfer to other nearby facilities or receive support if they choose not to stay with the company. Stephenson emphasized that Amazon continuously evaluates its network to align with business needs and enhance the overall experience for employees, customers, partners, and drivers.
This evaluation includes the closure of older sites, improvements to existing facilities, and the opening of new sites. Various factors are considered when determining the development of future sites or the maintenance of a presence in certain locations. The closure of the Tukwila warehouse comes as Amazon continues to expand its global workforce, which currently stands at 1.52 million people.
In the Seattle region alone, the company employs 75,000 individuals, primarily corporate and tech workers. As of March 31, Amazon’s global headcount saw a 4% year-over-year growth.
During a call with reporters last month, Amazon CFO Brian Olsavsky attributed the rise in headcount to the company’s warehouse-related operations. The growth in this sector aligns with Amazon’s recent announcement of setting new records for Prime delivery speeds in the first quarter of this year, which was made possible by a shift towards regional fulfillment centers.
It is worth noting that the warehouse jobs were not affected by the layoffs of 27,000 corporate workers that Amazon implemented last year.