Samsung lays off workers in S’pore amid global job cuts

SINGAPORE - Electronics giant Samsung Electronics has laid off an undisclosed number of workers in Singapore as it cuts thousands of jobs globally.

A spokesperson here did not comment on the number of employees affected or give details on retrenchment packages.

The person also told The Straits Times on Oct 2 that “Samsung Electronics Singapore is conducting routine workforce adjustments to improve operational efficiency”.

The mood in the company was solemn upon hearing about the retrenchments, said a Samsung employee affected by the layoffs.

“I was told about the layoffs on Oct 1,” added the staff member, who wanted to remain anonymous. “I received a calendar invite from my boss and walked into a meeting room with my boss and human resources staff seated inside.”

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style="clear: both;">The employee, who has been with the company for more than a year, said there was no prior communication from management.

“But we weren’t surprised as we saw an ST article about the layoffs two to three weeks ago,” the employee said, adding that an undisclosed retrenchment package that was offered was fair.

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Samsung lays off workers in S’pore amid global job cuts

Samsung shares have slid more than 20 per cent in 2024 as the world’s largest maker of memory chips and smartphones struggles in key markets. PHOTO: AFP

Rosalind Ang

Updated Oct 03, 2024, 07:05 AM

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SINGAPORE - Electronics giant Samsung Electronics has laid off an undisclosed number of workers in Singapore as it cuts thousands of jobs globally.

A spokesperson here did not comment on the number of employees affected or give details on retrenchment packages.

The person also told The Straits Times on Oct 2 that “Samsung Electronics Singapore is conducting routine workforce adjustments to improve operational efficiency”.

The mood in the company was solemn upon hearing about the retrenchments, said a Samsung employee affected by the layoffs.

“I was told about the layoffs on Oct 1,” added the staff member, who wanted to remain anonymous. “I received a calendar invite from my boss and walked into a meeting room with my boss and human resources staff seated inside.”

The employee, who has been with the company for more than a year, said there was no prior communication from management.

“But we weren’t surprised as we saw an ST article about the layoffs two to three weeks ago,” the employee said, adding that an undisclosed retrenchment package that was offered was fair.

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The South Korean company is laying off employees in South-east Asia, Australia and New Zealand as part of a broader global restructuring aimed at reducing its overall workforce, according to a Bloomberg report.

The job cuts, which are expected to affect up to 10 per cent of the company’s headcount in the region, were announced on Oct 1, according to the Bloomberg report.

It added that employees from various teams were called into private meetings with human resources staff and their managers to discuss severance packages.

The company has reduced the size of its workforce in the past as it navigated the notoriously cyclical memory chip market. Samsung recently trimmed about 10 per cent of jobs in India and some parts of Latin America, a source told Bloomberg.

In the latest push, Samsung is likely to cut less than 10 per cent of its total overseas staff of 147,000, Bloomberg reported. It added that the company aims to preserve manufacturing jobs, while it cuts management and support functions.

Although the company’s Singapore arm is not unionised, the Singapore Manual and Mercantile Workers’ Union (SMMWU) said it is reaching out to Samsung workers who are union members affected by the layoffs.

These workers can access job placement services, as well as career and skills upgrading advisory services to enhance their employability via NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute), SMMWU said.