Reports have surfaced that Samsung Electronics plans to lay off thousands of employees in Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand as part of its global workforce reduction strategy.
A source familiar with the matter reportedly revealed that employees from various departments at Samsung Electronics in Singapore were informed of the details regarding the layoffs during a private meeting with HR personnel and managers. It appears that layoffs are also planned for other overseas branches.
However, a Samsung Electronics representative stated that workforce reduction is a standard annual practice to improve operational efficiency.
Meanwhile, foreign media reported that Samsung Electronics has already reduced about 10% of its workforce in some regions of India and South America. They added that the potential layoffs could affect around 147,000 employees, representing less than 10% of Samsung’s overseas workforce.
Industry analysts have pointed to Samsung’s struggles in key areas of its business as possible drivers behind the job cuts. The company faces increasing competition from SK Hynix in the AI memory chip market and is falling behind Taiwan’s TSMC in the semiconductor foundry sector. These challenges, analysts suggest, may be contributing to Samsung’s decision to trim its international workforce.
