Yahoo shifts toward content curation in Singapore, resulting in the dismissal of its editorial and social media staff.
Some Yahoo Singapore personnel were laid off from the digital news outlet known for its blend of third-party and original reporting. According to The Straits Times, Yahoo's thorough evaluation highlighted partner content's constant engagement.
The Edge Singapore reported on April 29 that 17 Yahoo employees will leave the company after May 7 due to a strategic adjustment. On April 23, affected employees met with HR. Impacted employees can apply for new jobs.
Change in Strategy
Under its new agenda, Yahoo is hiring three "curation editors" and a market lead for Yahoo News Singapore. A Yahoo spokesperson said the company's editorial policy is changing to reflect Yahoo Singapore's strategic ambitions. The representative reassured users that Yahoo will continue to provide a variety of high-quality news, lifestyle, and financial content from local and international sources.
Selected Yahoo syndicators include HuffPost, AFP News, Reuters, EdgeProp, and The Edge Singapore.
Yahoo already restructured in Singapore. In 2022, the firm laid off seven journalists in the country, following cuts in 2016. Yahoo does not have a union in Singapore.
The company continues to invest in Asia and expects most Yahoo News sites to blend third-party and original content.
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Separately, Yahoo laid off almost 20% of its personnel in February 2023 to revamp its advertising technology division. The reorganization affected roughly 1,600 Yahoo ad tech personnel, according to a report from Axios.
Yahoo's approach changed, ending its longstanding pursuit of digital advertising dominance over Google and Meta.
(Photo : PETER PARKS/AFP via Getty Images)
An internet user reads a website in Beijing on 21 March, 2008 which contains a list and photos of what the Chinese government calls "The 19 most-wanted Lhasa rioters", vowing to punish those responsible for last week's violence in the Tibetan capital Lhasa.
Tech Job Cuts to Continue
Yahoo Singapore's staff layoff comes as the trend of tech companies downsizing workforce persists. Numerous big firms cut staff in 2023, eliminating over 240,000 tech jobs. This year, more than 75,000 tech layoffs have been recorded so far.
This year saw 270 tech businesses have laid off workers. Despite the bad news, fresh career possibilities are developing as business executives debate whether artificial intelligence (AI) will generate jobs or replace them.
Unfortunately, tech layoffs will continue, as indicated by recent trends reported by Techopedia.
Amazon slashed more cloud jobs in April, while Dell Technologies laid off 6,000 workers or 5% of its total. Microsoft, Google, eBay, and Tesla are cutting workers, with Tesla cutting 6,000 jobs in Texas and California.
Following its August announcement to replace 8,000 marketing and communications roles with AI, IBM terminated many jobs in March. CEO Arvind Krishna suggested AI and robotics may replace 30% of back-office jobs in five years.
US tech layoffs rose 3% to 84,638 in February, the largest in 11 months. Cisco Systems announced a 5% employment cut, or approximately 4,000 jobs.
Grammarly cut 230 employees to focus on AI-enabled workplace solutions. Instacart also let off 250 people, or 7% of its staff, to streamline operations, focus on critical initiatives, and execute organizational reforms.
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