(Bloomberg) — Samsung Electronics Co. is laying off workers in Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand as part of a plan to reduce global headcount by thousands of jobs, according to people familiar with the situation.
The layoffs could affect about 10% of the workforces in those markets, although the numbers for each subsidiary may vary, said one of the people, who asked not to be named because the matter is private. Job cuts are planned for other overseas subsidiaries and could reach 10% in certain markets, said the person.
The South Korean company has about 147,000 staff overseas, more than half of its total employees of more than 267,800, according to its latest sustainability report. It’s not planning layoffs in its home market.
Samsung staff across different teams in Singapore were called into private meetings on Tuesday with HR managers and their reporting managers, and were informed of the retrenchment and severance package details, said another person familiar with the matter.
“Some overseas subsidiaries are conducting routine workforce adjustments to improve operational efficiency,” a Samsung spokesperson said. “The company has not set a target number for any particular positions.”