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Apple is reportedly positioning the move as an effort to improve the global upkeep of its stores, while recent reports suggest the company has been working to avoid layoffs.
Apple has become the latest tech giant to begin cutting its staff numbers, according to sources speaking with Bloomberg.
The positions are being cut in Apple’s development and preservation teams, according to the sources. These teams are responsible for the construction and upkeep of Apple retail stores and other facilities. The number of jobs being cut is unclear but is expected to be small.
This aligns with a report that teams maintaining Apple’s corporate retail division are being told to reapply for jobs within the company or be let go, according to a source speaking with Business Insider.
Apple employs around 6,000 people in Ireland and claims its “App Store ecosystem” accounts for 17,000 jobs nationwide. The company has not responded to a request for comment on the Bloomberg report.
The report suggests Apple is positioning the move as a streamlining effort to improve the global upkeep of its stores.
Apple saw a disappointing result for its first fiscal quarter of 2023. The company’s total net sales of $117.15bn was lower than the same period the previous year. Aside from its services division, every section of its business saw an income drop for this quarter.
Despite this, Apple CEO Tim Cook said at the time that the company was focused on the long term “as we all continue to navigate a challenging environment”. He also said Apple hit a “major milestone” with more than 2bn active devices.
The layoffs appear to be the latest step in a series of cost-cutting measures that Apple has taken in recent months. A Bloomberg report last month suggested Apple was working to reduce costs while avoiding staff cuts.
These measures include delayed bonuses, reigned-in budgets, delayed projects and hiring pauses. The report also claimed Apple had cut contractors who had been stationed within its engineering teams and other groups.
Many tech companies have been on a trend of reducing their workforces to optimise efficiency, after last year saw a bout of macroeconomic issues and a growing energy crisis.
In March, job search platform Indeed revealed it will lay off 2,200 employees globally as CEO Chris Hyams said the company is “simply too big for what lies ahead”. Earlier this month, Irish tech company Workhuman shared plans to cut 10pc of its global workforce.
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