Google now begins laying off employees in China

HONG KONG: Google is now laying off employees in China that have hit senior positions and high-paying workers as part of the global announcement, the media reported on Monday.

The aim of the company is to "reset the salary standard and reduce operating costs while improving overall work efficiency", reports Pandaily.

The compensations include stock and annual leave discount and 30,000 yuan ($4,339) in cash and medical insurance, and these benefits can only be obtained by signing the agreement of leaving the company before March 10, the report noted.

"In addition, Google has provided a three-month buffer period for laid-off employees, during which they cannot work but will continue to be paid normally," it added.

Alphabet, Google's parent company, recently laid off 12,000 workers and even 100 robots that cleaned its cafeterias at its headquarters. The company sacked about 400 employees in India as part of the global announcement.

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 per cent of the total workforce.

Several Google employees went to social media, especially LinkedIn, to share their plight.

Denying that the layoffs were done "randomly", Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai had said that he is "deeply sorry" for reducing the workforce. In an email to employees, Pichai said he takes "full responsibility for the decisions that led us here".

The layoffs at Google's parent company were expected amid the deepening funding winter that has hit companies of all sizes in the global slowdown and recession fears.