TikTok reportedly lays off staff in SG as part of global restructure

TikTok has exercised a round of layoffs, this time letting go at least a dozen of employees in Singapore, effective immediately. The layoffs, according to The Straits Times, come as the firm trims its back-end teams globally to better align with long-term growth plans. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to TikTok for a statement. 

Employees in the trust and safety team reportedly received letters informing them about the internal reorganisation on 20 February. The Asia Pacific, Europe and US teams are said to be affected. 

Meanwhile, the email to Singapore employees said the layoffs in the trust and safety team were carefully considered, reported ST. The move is for operational efficiency and will better align with its business needs, the email reportedly said. Employees who received the email had their access revoked an hour after they were informed of the cut. Some were able to keep their roles. 

Don't miss: What do TikTok's layoffs in Malaysia signal for AI development in the country? 

TikTok and ByteDance employees in Malaysia and Indonesia were also hit with layoffs last year. In October, TikTok reportedly laid off more than 7000 workers from its Malaysian unit as the company shifts its focus towards the greater use of AI in content moderation.

When MARKETING-INTERACTIVE reached out to TikTok at the time, a spokesperson said that the layoffs in Malaysia were part of the firm's ongoing efforts to further strengthen its global operating model for content moderation. 

Meanwhile, in Indonesia, ByteDance cut around 450 jobs following the merger of TikTok shop and Indonesian digital company Tokopedia. The layoffs happened in June, with media reports claiming that it was only the first round of layoffs. The job cuts reportedly equalled to about 9% of the staff at the Indonesian division. 

The eCommerce team, including advertising and operations, were impacted by the layoffs.  In an official statement to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE at the time, a ByteDance spokesperson said that the layoffs too were to better align with the company's goals. It also came as the firm identified areas to strengthen its operations following the merger. 

TikTok and its parent company are not the only big tech and social firms to cull employees. Earlier in February this year, Meta informed employees of job cuts as it shifts its focus on finding new talent in the artificial intelligence sector.  Meta workers who were cut from their jobs were notified via email, according to Bloomberg. The company is reportedly offering employees based in America severance packages that include 16 weeks of salary and two weeks for each year of service. 

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