Amazon halts corporate hiring citing 'uncertain' economy

Amazon implemented a hiring freeze for corporate positions this week, pointing to the "uncertain" economy as the reason behind the move.

In a message to employees on Wednesday, Amazon senior vice president of People Experience and Technology Beth Galetti announced the decision made by CEO Andy Jassy and the leadership team, explaining, "We're facing an unusual macro-economic environment, and want to balance our hiring and investments with being thoughtful about this economy."

Galetti noted that the company had already issued hiring pauses in some divisions in recent weeks, and decided to shut down new corporate hiring across the board "with the economy in an uncertain place and in light of how many people we have hired in the last few years." 

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The retail giant expects to keep the hiring freeze in place for a few months.

Galetti went on to tell workers in her message that Amazon has faced tough economic conditions in the past, adding that "With fewer people to hire this moment, this should give each team an opportunity to further prioritize what matters most to customers and the business, and to be more productive."

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The announcement came two weeks after Amazon founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos warned on Twitter that "the probabilities in this economy tell you batten down the hatches," indicating he agreed with Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon who had cautioned earlier in the day that there is a "good chance" of a U.S. recession.

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Amazon's hiring pause is the latest sign of big tech anticipating an economic downturn. Microsoft recently announced layoffs across several divisions, and Meta implemented a hiring freeze of its own in late September.

FOX Business' Megan Henney contributed to this report.