LinkedIn, a Microsoft-owned platform that helps people discover jobs, will lay off 716 workers as demand falls. According to reports, the current round of layoffs will affect the sales, operations, and support teams as the company streamlines its operations to cut expenses. In February, LinkedIn announced the first round of layoffs, which mostly affected the recruiting division. The Microsoft-owned job site employs approximately 20,000 people. Notably, despite increasing income in the previous two quarters, the corporation decided to lay off people.
LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky stated in a letter to workers acquired by global news agency Reuters that the effort to reduce jobs was intended to streamline the company’s operations and remove layers to help make faster choices. The message also emphasizes that the company intends to create new employment and that affected employees are welcome to apply. “With the market and customer demand fluctuating more, and to serve emerging and growth markets more effectively, we are expanding our use of vendors,” Roslansky writes.
While the option to apply for a new position may encourage some employees, LinkedIn may face criticism for laying them off in the first place. Some employees criticized the corporation for the unexpected layoffs in February. Melanie Quandt, an impacted employee, stated that the corporation offered her “small benefits and severance” that made her feel terrible. She stated on “LinkedIn it would take a lot of work to “trust an employer again.”
The Microsoft-owned company claims it will keep a presence in China to concentrate on “assisting companies” in the face of challenging economic circumstances. Users are advised to download their “InCareer account data” before the cutoff date by LinkedIn. To assist Chinese mainland professionals in finding jobs and help companies uncover top talent in China, LinkedIn launched InCareer in December 2021. On iOS and Android, it was free to download.
Other Microsoft businesses and verticals are also impacted by this move in addition to LinkedIn. The software giant’s VR/AR division HoloLens was among the offices that were shut down. As part of the general downsizing measures, other well-known verticals, including Xbos, also terminated personnel.