Google is scaling back its hiring efforts and is planning to lay off hundreds of employees from its global recruiting organization, as reported by CNBC. This decision comes in the wake of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, announcing a workforce reduction of 12,000 jobs, which will impact approximately 6% of its full-time staff of around 200,000 employees. Interestingly, this move from Google comes shortly after the company posted impressive second-quarter profit and revenue figures, surpassing expectations from Wall Street.
The decision to downsize the recruiting department aligns with typical practices during a phase of layoffs, as there is usually a reduced need for new hires in the immediate future. Google is not the only major technology and media company facing workforce reductions, as the advertising market has suffered a downturn, leading to job cuts across the industry.
Beyond these challenges, Google is currently embroiled in an antitrust legal battle with the United States Department of Justice. The trial began this week and adds additional pressure to the company.
In response to criticism over previous layoffs in January, where access to offices and systems were abruptly revoked, Google will allow employees to continue accessing their physical workplaces and online systems for the time being. CNBC reports that this will be extended beyond the immediate aftermath of the job cuts.
At the time of writing, a spokesperson from Google was not available for immediate comment to officially confirm the reported job cuts.
