TikTok, fresh from a major accolade, initiates layoffs? On February 20, TikTok carried out a workforce reduction at its Raffles Quay office in Singapore, primarily targeting several employees in its Trust and Safety department.
Loyal Employees Dismissed
According to The Straits Times, at least 12 employees were abruptly laid off after receiving termination emails from the company.
In the email, TikTok stated that the decision was made “after months of careful deliberation” to enhance “operational efficiency” and better align with business needs.
This layoff is not an isolated incident but part of TikTok’s global restructuring efforts to optimize team structures. In addition to Singapore, offices in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the U.S. have also been affected.
Just two days prior to the layoffs, Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) announced that TikTok had received the highest safety rating among the six major social media platforms assessed in the country.
In Singapore, X is the “Most Risky,” TikTok the “Safest
The announcement was meant to affirm the Trust and Safety team’s achievements. However, TikTok’s subsequent layoffs, perceived as “discarding the plow after the ox has plowed,” have sparked confusion and surprise.
Shifting Labor Costs
TikTok is not alone in this trend. On February 17, Singapore’s real estate giant PropertyGuru implemented its second round of layoffs this month, cutting 174 jobs and shuttering three business units: home services platform (Sendhelper), data and software solutions (Data & Software Solutions), and loan services (PropertyGuru Finance)—all involving IT and data management.
Earlier this month (February 10), Meta, Facebook’s parent company, executed global layoffs, with its Singapore office at Marina One also impacted. Employees began receiving termination notices after 9 p.m. that day.
The departments cut by these companies may not lack demand for these roles. Instead, the jobs are likely being outsourced to teams in other Southeast Asian regions with lower labor costs.
As one netizen noted, a Singapore-based product manager’s role often involves organizing meetings with outsourced programmers, sometimes without even knowing their nationalities.
Support and Opportunities
While frequent layoffs have shaken Singapore’s job market, the government and society are actively stepping up to support affected employees.
For instance, the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme offers up to six months of temporary financial aid for involuntary job losses, with a maximum grant of S$6,000.
Beyond government aid, Singapore’s National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) is also mobilizing resources. The NTUC Tech Talent Assembly, for example, provides career counseling and job placement services to help laid-off workers secure new opportunities.
