SEATTLE, Jan 4 (AFP) - Amazon.com is planning to lay off more than 17,000 workers, a higher number than the e-commerce giant initially planned, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday (Jan 4), citing people familiar with the matter.

Some of the additional layoffs are from Amazon's corporate ranks, according to the WSJ report.

The Seattle-based company began laying off staff in its devices division in November, with a source telling Reuters at the time that Amazon was targeting 10,000 job cuts.

Amazon, America's second-largest private employer with more than 1.5 million workers including warehouse staff, has been bracing for likely slower growth as soaring inflation forces businesses and consumers to cut back spending.

The additional job cuts at Amazon would take the total more than other major company's recently announced plans, and represent a swift turn for the retailer who in previous months had doubled its base pay ceiling to compete more aggressively for talent.

Amazon did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Cloud-based software firm Salesforce said on Wednesday that it plans to cut jobs by 10 per cent as technology companies from Meta Platforms to Microsoft slash thousands of jobs in preparation for a recession.

Facebook-parent Meta is cutting more than 11,000 jobs this year.