Meta begins latest round of layoffs, technical roles affected

Roughly a month after announcing plans to eliminate approximately 10,000 jobs, Meta has begun to scale back its staffing levels.

On April 19, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp confirmed to multiple news outlets, including CNN, that layoffs have begun.

While it remains unclear how many employees are affected, members of the tech giant’s sustainability, well-being, user experience, news feed, and messaging teams, shared on social media that they had been let go.

“I woke up this morning to the unfortunate news that I was one of the many laid-off from Meta today,” Teresa Jimenez, a business program manager at Facebook, wrote on Linkedin.

“While I am certainly disappointed, I’m also feeling extremely grateful for the opportunity to have worked alongside some of the most talented individuals for almost three years!”

The latest round of job cuts comes just months after the company laid off more than 11,000 workers in November.

According to reports, Meta employed a global workforce of approximately 86,000 people at the end of 2022.

Impact on Canadian staff

Meta didn’t disclose how many Canadian employees are affected by the latest round of cuts.

During the tech giant’s mass layoff in November, several staff members shared on social media that they had been let go.

According to LinkedIn, the company has more than 1,000 workers in Canada.

Major tech layoffs continue

The latest reduction at Meta comes after several major North American tech companies announced sweeping layoffs in 2023.

Big names, including Amazon, Kyndryl, Electronic Arts, Alphabet, Dell, Clearco, Hootsuite, and Microsoft, are significantly scaling back their staffing levels as they continue to navigate challenging economic conditions.

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• Layoffs in Canada

Termination agreements for Meta employees

In Canada, non-unionized employees at Meta are owed full severance pay when they lose their jobs due to downsizing or corporate restructuring.

This includes individuals working full-time, part-time, or hourly in Ontario, Alberta, and B.C.

Severance can be as much as 24 months’ pay, depending on a number of factors.

LEARN MORE
• Severance for technology industry employees
• Severance for provincially regulated employees
• Severance packages in mass layoffs

WATCH: Employment lawyer Lior Samfiru explains why you are still owed severance if you have been downsized on an episode of the Employment Law Show.

Before you accept any severance offer, have an experienced employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP review it and your employment contract.

We can tell you if what you have been provided is fair and how to get proper severance if it falls short of what you are actually owed.

If you don’t receive the full amount, which happens often, you have been wrongfully dismissed and are entitled to compensation.