SEOUL (AFP): Samsung Electronics said Wednesday it was planning to cut jobs in some of its Asian operations after an earlier report that indicated one in 10 posts in affected markets could be axed.
The world’s largest memory chipmaker is modifying staffing levels in Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand, a company spokesperson told Agence France-Presse (AFP), adding that “the adjustments include job cuts.”
The “routine workforce adjustments” are carried out “to improve operational efficiency,” said Samsung Electronics in a statement.
“The company has not set a target number for any particular positions,” added the maker of Galaxy smartphones.
Bloomberg reported, however, that the layoffs could affect about 10% of the workforce in those markets.
The Suwon-based firm employs more than 267,800 workers, with more than half of its total workforce abroad.
The cuts came after U.S. chipmaker Intel announced in August that it would slash more than 15% of its workforce as it tries to streamline operations following a reported loss of $1.6 billion in the second quarter.
In contrast, Samsung saw its fastest growth since 2010, with operating profits soaring in the second quarter to 10.44 trillion won, as chip prices rebounded and demand for generative AI grew.
The figure represents a 1,462.29% increase from 670 billion won in the same period a year earlier, exceeding market expectations.
The company is the flagship subsidiary of South Korean giant Samsung Group, by far the biggest of the family-controlled conglomerates that dominate business in Asia’s fourth-largest economy.