Reports indicate that Apple is planning to reduce the number of positions in its corporate retail teams. The tech company is trimming jobs in the department responsible for constructing and maintaining Apple stores. According to anonymous sources, impacted staff have until the end of the week to apply for new roles within the organization. Until now, Apple has avoided the layoffs that have been impacting other technology firms, such as Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Alphabet. These companies have let go of tens of thousands of employees in recent months. Although it is unknown how many people will be impacted by the layoffs, Bloomberg reports that the number is expected to be minimal.
As per a securities filing, Apple’s workforce globally was 164,000 employees as of September. The company is presenting the layoffs as a means to enhance the maintenance of its stores, according to reports from both Bloomberg and Insider.
After a hiring surge during the pandemic, the tech industry has seen significant layoffs in recent months. In March, Amazon announced it would be cutting 9,000 jobs in its second round of large-scale layoffs.
Bloomberg reports that Apple did not grow its workforce at the same rate as its competitors during the pandemic, which helped the company avoid significant layoffs. Nonetheless, Apple has implemented other measures to reduce costs. Last year, the tech giant supposedly curbed hiring and expenditures for specific teams.
