Following a 2023 investigation by The Guardian and other media outlets, Amazon pledged to compensate contract workers in Saudi Arabia who had paid substantial fees to obtain warehouse jobs.Photograph: Jason Alden/Bloomberg/Getty Images via Guardian.
Workers at Amazon warehouses in Saudi Arabia, mostly migrants from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Kenya, were exploited through excessive recruitment fees (up to $2,300) and misleading employment practices. Amazon had pledged compensation, by early 2024 had reimbursed over 700 workers with $1.9 million .
However, as of October 2025, many workers still have not received payment. Some were excluded from compensation based on arbitrary rules, and the process has been criticized for lack of transparency . Labour rights groups, including Amnesty International are pressuring Amazon to fulfil its commitments and provide full financial redress to all affected workers .
The situation highlights ongoing labour abuses and the gap between corporate promises and accountability .
The Guardian. (2025, October 6). ‘We want justice’:workers at Amazon warehouses in Saudi Arabia still waiting on financial redress . Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/06/amazon-workers-saudi-arabia
