Global Scans · Retail · Weekly Summary

• [New] A growing number of companies across the United States are preparing to cut jobs in January, with new filings showing that layoffs will impact workers across industries ranging from retail and manufacturing to healthcare and technology. EURweb | Black News, Culture, Entertainment & More
• [New] Up to 85 million jobs could be replaced by automation and AI by 2026, with some retail functions seeing automation of as much as 65% of roles. Nucamp Bootcamp
• [New] AI could stand to replace as many as 100 million jobs over the next decade, with losses especially concentrated in fast food, customer service, retail and laborers who work in freight and moving materials. Salon.com
• [New] Up to 20 million worldwide jobs in healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and trucking will be replaced by automated technology. Bernard Marr
• [New] Repetitive manual jobs could shrink by 10% to 15% globally within a decade, with low-skill workers in manufacturing, retail, and logistics facing the most exposure. Richard van Hooijdonk Blog
• [New] Amazon announced that it will be exiting UK grocery retail, meaning 19 Amazon Fresh stores will be shut, putting 250 jobs at risk. BusinAssist Blog
• The National Retail Federation expects companies to add between 265,000 and 365,000 seasonal jobs in 2025, a decrease of up to 40% from the 442,000 roles added in 2023. Mass Market Retailers
• Online retail giant Amazon plans to cut 10,000 jobs, or around 3% of its office staff. Marketing Week
• By 2025, 30% of Starbucks corporate and 40% of retail jobs were supposed to be reserved for black people: numbers that are far out of proportion to the national population. Daniel Greenfield / Sultan Knish articles
• Jobs for clerks in the US could decrease by 1.6 million, with additional losses in retail salespersons, administrative assistants, and cashiers. Fagen Wasanni Technologies
• Long Beach, California now limits self-checkout kiosks in retail stores, reflecting fears that frontline retail jobs may be erased by automation. PYMNTS.com
• Retail is expected to lose an additional 500,000 jobs by 2030. RETHINK Retail

Last updated: 12 January 2026