LinkedIn, a social media network for business professionals, has announced that it will cut 716 jobs out of its 20,000-strong workforce in a move to streamline its operations.
LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky stated that the decision to cut jobs and close the China app was made to streamline the company’s operations and to better serve emerging and growth markets, which would require expanding the use of vendors.
However, he also stated that the changes would result in creating 250 new jobs, which affected employees would be eligible to apply for.
Additionally, LinkedIn will phase out its local jobs app in China, called InCareers, which only covers the Chinese market.
The remaining app in China, called InCareers, will be phased out by August 9th, following LinkedIn’s mostly withdrawal from China in 2021 due to a challenging environment.
Despite this move, LinkedIn will continue to maintain a presence in China to help companies operating there hire and train employees outside of the country.
In order to operate in China, LinkedIn agreed to comply with the Chinese government’s regulations when it was launched in 2014.
LinkedIn has followed suit with other tech companies in cutting jobs, eliminating 716 positions out of a workforce of 20,000. In addition, the social media platform, which primarily targets business professionals, will gradually remove its China-based job application.
According to a letter written by the company’s CEO Ryan Roslansky, the decision was made to streamline the company’s operations. Over the past six months, several firms, including Microsoft, LinkedIn’s parent company, Amazon, and Alphabet have disclosed job cuts.
“To cater to changing market and customer requirements, and to better serve emerging and expanding markets, we are broadening our use of vendors,” stated Mr. Roslansky in his letter.
Additionally, Mr. Roslansky stated that the restructuring would result in the creation of 250 new positions, for which the employees impacted by the layoffs in the sales, operations, and support departments would be eligible to apply.
By August 9, the remaining app called InCareers, which covers the Chinese market, will also be phased out after LinkedIn withdrew from most of China in 2021, citing a “challenging environment”.
A spokesperson for LinkedIn stated that the company will continue to have a presence in China to support companies with recruiting and training employees outside the country. Currently, LinkedIn is the only major Western social media platform operating in China.
To operate in China, LinkedIn had agreed to comply with the Chinese government’s regulations when it was launched in 2014.
In a letter addressed to LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, US Senator Rick Scott criticized the move, calling it a “gross appeasement and an act of submission to Communist China.” The letter was written when LinkedIn agreed to adhere to the requirements of the Chinese government in order to operate in the country back in 2014.
Source : bbc.com