LinkedIn laying off nearly 700 workers, second cut in months

Just months after laying off around 716 employees in May, LinkedIn is pulling out the axe again.

In a blog post on Oct. 16, the Microsoft-owned social media platform said it’s eliminating approximately 668 roles across its engineering, product, talent, and finance teams. 

“While we are adapting our organizational structures and streamlining our decision making, we are continuing to invest in strategic priorities for our future and to ensure we continue to deliver value for our members and customers,” the post reads.

“We are committed to providing our full support to all impacted employees during this transition and ensuring that they are treated with care and respect.”

The announcement comes a few days after Microsoft got the green light from Britain’s top competition watchdog to acquire video game giant Activision Blizzard for US$69 billion.

According to news outlets, including Reuters, the latest round of job cuts affects more than three per cent of LinkedIn’s 20,000-person workforce.

Major tech layoffs continue

The latest reduction at LinkedIn comes amid a flurry of tech sector layoffs in 2023.

Big names, including Amazon, Twitch, Hopper, Epic Games, Google, Dell, Telus, and Meta, have significantly scaled back their staffing levels as they continue to navigate challenging economic conditions.

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Termination agreements for LinkedIn employees

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

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

People working “on contract” or as a contractor may also be owed severance pay — given that many employees in Canada are often misclassified as independent contractors.

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.

In some cases, employers pressure staff into accepting poor severance packages, such as imposing a deadline for accepting the offer.

Non-unionized employees in Canada have up to two years from the date of their dismissal to pursue a claim for full severance pay.