Amazon lays off some employees in its Pharmacy unit

Amazon has fto spell of immoderate of the employees successful its Pharmacy business, the institution confirmed to CNBC.

A "small number" of staffers successful the Amazon Pharmacy part were informed Thursday they were being laid off, Amazon spokesperson Brad Glasser said successful a statement. Roughly 80 employees were laid off, according to Semafor, which antecedently reported the news.

"Like galore businesses, we are ever improving our processes, for some prime and efficiency, and identifying however we tin present connected the champion lawsuit experience," Glasser said. "As a result, we person made the determination to set resources and a tiny fig of roles person been eliminated connected the Amazon Pharmacy Services team."

The cuts travel arsenic Amazon precocious wrapped up the largest layoffs successful its 29-year history. The institution laid disconnected 18,000 employees implicit respective months past autumn and earlier this year, past announced an further 9,000 employees would beryllium fto spell successful March. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has been aggressively slashing costs crossed the institution arsenic the e-retailer reckons with an economical downturn and slowing gross growth. Jassy has targeted immoderate of Amazon's much unproven bets similar market and devices, portion freezing firm hiring and slowing warehouse expansion.

Amazon's healthcare businesses were affected by the layoffs earlier this year. Some employees successful the company's pharmacy, integer wellness tools and Halo fittingness set units were laid off, CNBC antecedently reported.

Amazon has spent years trying to ace the healthcare market. The company launched its ain online pharmacy successful 2020, a work that was calved retired of its acquisition of PillPack in 2018. Amazon introduced, then shuttered, a telehealth work called Amazon Care, and announced in July it would get boutique superior attraction supplier One Medical for $3.9 billion.

WATCH: Consumer feeling stretched and looking for deals during Amazon Prime Day