The e-commerce labour regime: Amazon and beyond

This article analyses the e-commerce labour regime, arguing that its impact on labour strategy in the US warehouse industry must be understood both within and beyond the ‘Amazon effect’. Through a programme of semi-structured interviews with warehouse operators and industry observers, we explore how societal norms and workplace practices, including the racialisation and gendering of warehouse labour markets, underpin interfirm competition. We find significant divergence in labour strategy between Amazon and third-party logistics providers (3PLs), which highlights the interplay between technological advancements and labour strategies and how these impact employment in the e-commerce warehouse sector.