Amazon is shifting from on-site interviews to video for some job openings as coronavirus concerns grow (AMZN)

Jeff Bezos

Amazon is moving from in-person to video interviews for certain jobs, a spokesperson told Business Insider on Friday.
The policy change, first reported by GIzmodo, comes as concerns over the coronavirus outbreak grow.
Amazon recently told all of its 798,000 employees to avoid non-essential travel both within the US and internationally.
Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Amazon has changed its hiring process for some positions, switching from on-site interviews to video calls, a spokesperson told Business Insider on Friday.

Gizmodo first reported earlier in the day that an Amazon recruiter had sent an email to a candidate saying: "we are not to bring any candidates onsite in person for interviews due to coronavirus concerns."

Amazon maintained that it is not canceling all in-person interviews, but instead that it is moving to video interviews by default for some job types.

The change comes as companies are taking increasingly aggressive steps to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease, COVID-19. Earlier in the day, Amazon confirmed to Business Insider that it had instructed all 798,000 of its employees to "defer non-essential travel."

That's in addition to the company's existing restrictions on employee travel to and from China, which have been in effect since January. Amazon also has indicated that its supply chain could be impacted, emailing sellers earlier this week to ask if they anticipated inventory issues.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Most maps of Louisiana aren't entirely right. Here's what the state really looks like.