Amazon cuts jobs, then turns to former employees for help

### Amazon Reaches Out to Former Employees as It Continues Hiring for Key Roles

Amazon is reaching back out to some former employees, including workers who were previously laid off, as the company continues recruiting for selected positions across its business.

Recruiter emails reviewed by Business Insider show that eligible former employees have been invited to consider available roles at Amazon. The outreach comes as the technology and e-commerce giant balances large-scale workforce reductions with continued hiring in areas it considers strategically important.

Amazon spokesperson Haley Silva told Moneywise that contacting former employees is not a new practice for the company. She said Amazon regularly considers both current candidates and former employees when filling open positions.

“We’re always interested in connecting with talented people — both new candidates and former Amazonians — for open roles,” Silva said.

Silva added that rehiring former employees has long been part of Amazon’s recruitment process and that the company follows consistent rehire and interview practices across its businesses.

One recent outreach effort involved former employees in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Recruiters associated with an organization led by AWS Vice President Swami Sivasubramanian contacted former workers through an initiative referred to in one email as the “Swami’s Boomerang Reengagement Initiative.”

The emails encouraged former employees to reconnect with Amazon and explore potential opportunities. Amazon, however, disputed the suggestion that the outreach represents a new AI-specific hiring strategy, emphasizing that former-employee recruitment is conducted across the company.

The effort comes after Amazon eliminated more than 30,000 positions through several rounds of workforce reductions. Despite those cuts, the company continues to recruit for positions it views as critical, particularly in areas requiring specialized technology and artificial intelligence expertise.

The strategy reflects a broader trend across the technology industry, where companies have reduced headcount while continuing to compete for workers with skills considered important to their future businesses.

Meta, Microsoft and Oracle have also announced significant workforce reductions while continuing to recruit for selected positions. The companies have been reshaping their organizations as they adjust spending priorities and increase their focus on artificial intelligence and other technology initiatives.

Amazon is also not alone in reconsidering former employees after layoffs. Salesforce encouraged some former workers to return in 2023 after eliminating thousands of positions.

Google has similarly increased its use of so-called “boomerang” employees for artificial intelligence-related roles. CNBC reported that roughly 20% of software engineers Google hired for AI work in 2025 were former employees returning to the company.

Workforce data suggests that rehiring laid-off employees is not unusual. Research from workforce analytics company Visier found that companies eventually rehire about 5.3% of workers they previously laid off.

Research from Robert Half has also highlighted another dimension of workforce changes linked to AI. The firm found that about three in 10 U.S. hiring managers who eliminated positions after implementing AI later had to hire people again for the same or similar roles.

For former Amazon employees considering a return, the company's workplace policies remain an important factor. Amazon's corporate return-to-office requirement has not changed, with corporate employees expected to work from the office five days a week beginning January 2, 2025.

Silva told Moneywise that Amazon's return-to-office expectations remain unchanged. The company's outreach to former employees therefore represents a recruiting strategy rather than a change in its broader workplace policy.

Amazon's approach illustrates how large technology companies are simultaneously restructuring their workforces and seeking specialized talent, with former employees becoming one potential source of experienced workers as demand shifts toward new areas such as artificial intelligence.