The news: eBay said it would lay off around 800 employees, or about 6% of its workforce, its third round of job cuts in roughly three years.

The rationale: In a statement, eBay positioned the layoffs as a business decision that will enable it to allocate more resources to “strategic priorities.” Those priorities could include its recent acquisition of secondhand marketplace Depop, which is intended to strengthen eBay’s fashion business but will be costly to integrate and scale.

The implications: eBay’s decision to embark on its third round of job cuts in as many years shows that the company is keeping a close watch on costs, even as its sales pick up.

That could reflect a growing reliance on AI, which eBay (like most companies) is using to drive efficiencies throughout its organization. Nearly half (47%) of HR leaders pointed to increased internal use of AI as the factor most likely to influence companies’ layoff decisions, compared with 37% for overall industry and market trends, according to a November survey by Careerminds.

Regardless of the reasoning, eBay’s layoffs—combined with similar announcements from Amazon, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and a host of other brands and retailers—are likely to add to consumers’ worsening view of the labor market, which is weighing on sentiment and spending.