(San Francisco) Amazon, which is struggling to recruit to meet its needs and to obtain supplies, generated “only” $ 3.2 billion in net profit in the third quarter, a result well below the expectations of investors who immediately sanctioned him on Wall Street.
The e-commerce giant lost 4.5% in electronic exchanges after the close of the stock market on Thursday, its performance suffering in particular from the unfavorable comparison with last year, when it had tripled its profits over one year to 6.3 billion, thanks to the health crisis.
Its turnover of 110.8 billion dollars (+ 15%) is in line with its expectations, but not those of analysts who expected more than 111.6 billion.
In its press release, the American group highlights its many investments, stressing that it has “almost doubled its warehouse network since the start of the pandemic”.
At the end of September, nearly 1.5 million people worked for Amazon around the world, 30% more than a year ago, and the firm continues to hire hard to meet the demand which does not weaken. , despite the lifting of containment measures in many countries.
But the company suffers from the same recruitment difficulties as others, especially in the United States.
“In the fourth quarter, we expect several billion in additional costs for our sales to consumers business,” Amazon warned, citing “lack of manpower, rising wages, global supply issues. and rising transport costs ”.
The group in Seattle (northwestern United States) announced ten days ago its intention to recruit 150,000 seasonal workers for the holiday season, in addition to 165,000 hires already announced in September. It offers high hiring bonuses.
The price of oil and the shortage of electronic components are also weighing on its activities.