Apple has been putting a lot of effort into avoiding mass layoffs amidst the current macroeconomic scenario. Even so, the company has laid off hundreds of contractors this year. Now for the first time since a “belt-tightening effort” last year, Apple is cutting some roles from its corporate retail teams.
Apple cutting corporate jobs in the retail team
As reported by Bloomberg, Apple is cutting positions from “development and preservation teams.” These teams are responsible for building Apple Retail Stores and other facilities associated with the company around the world. The report describes the number of positions being eliminated as “very small,” but it still shows that not even Apple has been immune to the shrinking global economy.
Internally, Apple has communicated the job cuts as a “streamlining effort” rather than layoffs. The company told employees that the changes should “improve upkeep of stores globally” and that affected employees will have support from Apple.
According to sources cited in the report, employees on these teams will have the chance to reapply for other jobs at Apple. In addition, those who don’t get a new role in the company will get up to four months of pay. Some management positions are also reportedly being eliminated. Unsurprisingly, Apple declined to comment on the situation.
Last year, people familiar with the matter revealed that Apple suspended hiring outside R&D unless it was extremely necessary. The company said in a statement that it would continue hiring but at a slower pace due to the current economic environment.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Apple has been more cautious about hiring, while other big tech companies have hired huge numbers of employees. Now, these companies are all initiating mass layoffs. Last month, Meta laid off about 10,000 employees after laying off 11,000 employees in November 2022.
Of course, it’s hard to predict at this point how much longer Apple will be able to cope without laying off a large number of people. In the last fiscal quarter, the company had 164,000 employees.
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