New Delhi: Amazon is preparing for one of the largest shifts in its workforce in recent history, with internal documents suggesting that the company could replace more than 500,000 warehouse jobs with robots by 2033. The move, reported by The New York Times, signals a long-term transition from human-led fulfilment centres to highly automated robotic facilities that can operate faster and at lower cost.
Amazon currently employs nearly 1.2 million people in the United States, making it one of the country’s biggest private employers. While the company is not expected to initiate mass layoffs, it is reportedly planning to reduce its reliance on human workers through attrition and automated expansion. In short, machines will fill roles that would otherwise go to new hires in the future.
Robots to take over warehouses
The internal report claimed Amazon could avoid hiring over 160,000 employees by 2027 as more warehouses adopt robotic systems. By 2033, the company expects robots to manage a significant share of its logistics operations. The plan includes expanding robotic infrastructure across at least 40 warehouses in the next two years.
Amazon’s robotic workforce is already visible at its Shreveport, Louisiana facility, where 1,000 robots work alongside humans. That warehouse reportedly operates with 25 percent fewer staff than traditional centres. Other similar deployments are being planned in Virginia Beach and Stone Mountain, Georgia.
According to the documents, Amazon leadership believes automation could help the company handle double the volume of products without proportionally increasing the workforce.
The rise of ‘cobots’ instead of humans
To manage public perception, Amazon is using the term “cobots” to describe its robots, presenting them as collaborative tools instead of human replacements. The company has even considered avoiding words like automation and AI when discussing the transition publicly. Instead, internal guidance recommends using phrases like “advanced technology” to soften the impact on local communities.
In a statement to the New York Times, Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the company’s hiring plans remain intact and that “the leaked materials were incomplete”. She emphasised that Amazon intends to hire 250,000 workers for the holiday season, although it is not clear how many will be permanent.
Will robots create new jobs or erase them?
Amazon argues that automation is leading to the creation of higher-paying technical roles. In Shreveport, more than 160 people work as robotics technicians, earning USD 24.45 (₹2,080) per hour, compared to warehouse workers earning USD 19.50 (₹1,657) per hour. The company has also launched mechatronics apprenticeship programmes to retrain workers.
However, experts have warned that communities dependent on warehouse jobs may face long-term employment challenges. Many of Amazon’s fulfilment centres are located in areas with high populations of blue-collar and African American workers who may not have access to technical training opportunities.
What this could mean for the future of work
If the projections hold true, Amazon will become a blueprint for AI-driven automation in the global supply chain and retail industry. Other companies may follow suit, leading to one of the most dramatic labour transformations in modern history.
With rising pressure to control costs and speed up deliveries, robots are becoming central to Amazon’s long-term strategy. The company’s internal strategy document reportedly said, “we are confident in our ability to flatten Amazon’s hiring curve over the next 10 years.”
The next few years will determine whether this shift will lead to new opportunities or mark the beginning of a gradual reduction in traditional warehouse jobs.