Google China Starts Layoffs, Compensation Provided
Recently, rumors about layoffs in Google’s China division caused some concern. This round of layoffs is mainly hitting senior positions and high-paying employees in an effort to reset the salary standard and reduce operating costs while improving overall work efficiency.
Compensations include N+9+1 salary, stock and annual leave discount, 30,000 yuan ($4,339) in cash and medical insurance. These compensation benefits can only be obtained by signing the agreement of leaving the company before March 10. In addition, Google has provided a three-month buffer period for laid-off employees, during which they can not work but will continue to be paid normally.
On January 20, Google CEO Sundar Pichai confirmed in a letter to employees that about 12,000 people will be laid off globally, accounting for more than 6% of the total number of employees, which is the largest round of downsizing in the company’s history. Among them, the layoff arrangement in the United States will take effect immediately, while in other countries, according to local laws and practices, the layoff process will take longer. The company disclosed that the compensation scheme in the United States includes at least 60 days’ notification period, and a severance package starting at 16 weeks salary plus two weeks for every additional year.
Pichai mentioned AI in his email, saying that there are many opportunities in the field and is a key area where Google needs to invest. Shortly after Pichai’s email was sent, Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, sent a letter to the department in an attempt to boost morale, saying that cloud computing field is still one of the largest and fastest growing businesses within Google and an area where the company continues to invest.
From the end of last year until now, this latest wave of layoffs in Silicon Valley has aroused widespread concern, not only because of the scale of the layoffs, but also because of the size of companies involved, including Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Apple and Tesla.
According to Layoffs.fyi, a website that tracks layoffs and salary information of top technology companies, since the beginning of 2022, the company with the largest layoffs is Amazon, which has laid off 18,100 people, followed by Meta, 11,000 people, then Microsoft, 10,000 people.
SEE ALSO: Microsoft Rumored to Cut Suzhou Division in China, Future Adjustments Inevitable
According to Chinese media outlet Yicai, Chen Zhijian, director of public relations at Blind, an anonymous workplace social software, said, “In the past two years, professionals often held multiple employment opportunities and were able to choose between different companies with good salaries and benefits. Now, they expect the era of high salaries to come to an end.” According to a recent Blind survey, 46% of the professionals surveyed believe that the salary in 2023 will be lower than last year, while only 16% of the respondents believe that the salary this year will be higher than last year.
