Apple Layoffs in Canada: Employee Rights, Severance Pay, and What You Need to Know

On November 24, 2025, Bloomberg reported that Apple is cutting dozens of roles across its global sales organization, including:

• account managers serving major businesses, schools and government agencies
• staff who run Apple’s briefing centres for institutional clients.

The company has framed the move as a way to “streamline” how it sells to organizations, while telling affected employees they can apply for other internal roles (Samfiru Tumarkin LLP).

Reuters confirmed the same day that Apple is trimming positions across its sales teams and that only a “small number” of roles are affected, but emphasized that jobs tied to large enterprise, education and government customers are impacted. These cuts follow earlier reductions in 2024 tied to cancelled projects, including Apple’s self-driving car initiative and internal display-development teams (Samfiru Tumarkin LLP).

While Apple layoffs are relatively rare compared to some other tech giants, these decisions can indirectly or directly affect Canadian employees and teams that service Canadian customers.

Regardless of when layoffs occur, the rights of non-unionized Apple employees in Canada remain consistent under Canadian employment law. This guide explains what Apple workers in Canada need to know about severance pay, wrongful dismissal, and next steps if they lose their jobs.

Who Apple May Lay Off in Canada

Apple doesn’t always break out Canada-specific numbers when it announces job cuts. But based on the November 24, 2025 restructuring of its sales organization, and past reductions tied to project cancellations, the following types of roles could be affected:

• Enterprise, education, and government sales (account managers handling large institutional clients)
• Briefing centre and customer experience staff who coordinate demos and high-level meetings with business and public-sector buyers
• Corporate sales operations and support, including analysts and coordinators
• Marketing, channel, and partner management teams that support resellers and indirect sales
• Technical pre-sales and solutions roles that help advise organizations on Apple deployments
• Engineering and project teams linked to cancelled or restructured initiatives (for example, major hardware or services projects)
• Corporate support functions such as HR, finance, and administration tied to affected divisions

As we’ve seen with other global employers, decisions made in the US can lead to restructuring that impacts Canadian-based employees or Canadian-facing teams, even when only a small number of roles are announced publicly.

Know Your Rights When Apple Lays You Off

This section applies to non-unionized employees of Apple in Canada (including Apple corporate, Apple retail corporate staff, and Apple Canada).

In Canada, a corporate “restructuring,” “job elimination,” or “role no longer required” at Apple is usually a termination without cause under Canadian law — even if Apple calls it a layoff or reorganization.

That means Apple typically owes you:

• Full severance pay, based on your common law entitlements – not just government or employment standards minimums
• Notice or pay in lieu of notice
• All components of your normal compensation, which may include:
  • Base salary
  • Benefits (health, dental, RRSP/TFSA matching, etc.)
  • Short-term and long-term bonuses
  • RSUs, stock options, ESPP contributions and other equity
  • Vacation pay and any outstanding commissions

Severance Packages for Apple Employees

In Canada, severance for non-unionized Apple workers is based on common law, which looks at factors such as:

• Your length of service with Apple (including time with Apple Canada, Apple corporate, or predecessor entities)
• Your age
• Your position, seniority, and scope of responsibility
• The availability of comparable jobs in the market, particularly in tech and sales

Depending on these factors, Apple employees in Canada can receive up to 24 months of severance pay under common law.

Apple may present a “standard” package that:

• Offers only ESA minimums (far less than common law entitlements)
• Ignores RSUs, stock options, ESPP and long-term incentives
• Under-values commissions or variable compensation
• Gives a short deadline (e.g., 5–10 days) to sign
• Provides a lump sum or salary continuation with limited explanation

This is why you should never assume Apple’s first offer is fair. Having a severance package reviewed is often the difference between a few months of pay and potentially up to 24 months of total compensation.

Potential Issues With Apple Layoff Notices

Common problems we see when Apple employees are laid off include:

• Incorrect severance calculations that only consider ESA minimums
• Insufficient notice relative to your years of service and seniority
• “Temporary layoff” language used without a clear contractual right to do so
• Unclear handling of RSUs, stock options, ESPP and bonuses
• Short deadlines designed to pressure quick acceptance
• Incomplete breakdowns of how Apple arrived at the severance figure

Any one of these issues can be a sign that your offer is below your legal entitlement under Canadian law.

Common Red Flags in Apple Severance Offers

Be especially cautious if your severance package from Apple:

• Includes only a few weeks or a handful of months of pay after many years of service
• Does not continue benefits for a reasonable period
• Leaves RSUs, stock options, ESPP or long-term incentives out of the calculation
• Does not clearly explain how bonuses and commissions are treated
• Describes your termination as “restructuring” or “realignment” but still ends your employment permanently
• Comes with a 24–72-hour deadline or other intense pressure to sign
• Asks you to sign away rights (including future claims) in exchange for basic amounts you are already owed

If you see these red flags, don’t sign until you’ve obtained advice from an employment lawyer.

Wrongful Dismissal and Apple Layoffs

A wrongful dismissal happens when an employer like Apple fails to provide the full severance pay required under common law after terminating a non-unionized employee without cause.

You may have a wrongful dismissal claim against Apple if:

• Your severance package is far lower than what similar employees receive in court decisions
• Your employment contract’s termination clause is unenforceable under current Canadian case law
• You are pressured to sign quickly with threats that the offer will “disappear”
• You are let go during maternity, parental, disability, or medical leave
• Apple labels the situation as a “temporary layoff” with no realistic recall and no valid contractual basis
• Apple refuses to recognize RSUs, bonuses, commissions or benefits in the severance calculation

Even relatively small rounds of layoffs — like the “dozens” of sales roles impacted in November 2025 — can still involve significant wrongful dismissal issues for the individuals affected.

What to Do After Apple Lays You Off

If Apple has just given you notice of termination or a severance offer:

1. Do not sign anything right away. Signing usually waives your right to seek more severance later.
2. Collect all relevant documents:
   • Offer letter and employment contracts
   • Commission plans, bonus policies and equity grant agreements (RSUs, options, ESPP)
   • Recent pay stubs and T4s
   • Any emails or memos about your role, performance, or restructuring
3. Use the Severance Pay Calculator to get a quick estimate of what you may be owed under Canadian law.
4. Take notes about your duties and responsibilities, especially if you held a specialized or senior role (e.g., enterprise account manager, senior solutions engineer, sales leader).
5. Speak with an employment lawyer who works for employees (not employers) to assess whether Apple’s offer reflects your full common law entitlement.

In most provinces, you may have up to two years from the date of termination to pursue a legal claim — but the deadline in your severance letter is often an internal Apple timeline, not a legal one.

Frequently Asked Questions About Apple Layoffs

How much severance can Apple employees in Canada get?

Non-unionized Apple employees may be entitled to up to 24 months of severance, depending on factors like age, length of service, position, and how difficult it will be to find similar work. This is based on common law, which is usually much higher than ESA minimums.

Are Apple layoffs “temporary”?

When Apple eliminates your role as part of a restructuring, that is typically treated as a permanent termination under Canadian law. Employers can’t simply label something a “layoff” to avoid paying proper severance if there is no contractual right to temporarily lay off staff.

Does Apple have to include RSUs, stock options and bonuses in severance?

In many cases, yes. Equity awards, bonuses and commissions can be part of your total compensation, and court decisions often require employers to include them for the reasonable notice period, unless Apple relies on a valid and enforceable plan or contract term that clearly limits them.

What if Apple lets me go while I’m on parental or medical leave?

Terminating an employee during maternity, parental, disability, or medical leave can raise both wrongful dismissal and potential human rights concerns, depending on the circumstances. You should obtain advice immediately if this happens.

Do I need a lawyer if Apple already gave me a “fair” package?

You won’t know if it’s fair until it’s compared against your common law entitlement. Many employees discover that Apple’s first offer is significantly below what they are legally owed when properly calculated.

How Samfiru Tumarkin LLP Can Help With Apple Layoffs

If Apple has laid you off — or if you are concerned that upcoming restructuring might affect your role — talk to an employment lawyer before you sign anything.

Samfiru Tumarkin LLP has helped over 50,000 Canadians secure the compensation they’re owed, and has earned more than 3,000 five-star reviews across the country.

Disclaimer: The materials above are provided as general information about the rights of non-unionized employees in Canada. It is not specific to any one company and should not be read as suggesting any improper conduct on the part of any specific employer, or a relationship between Samfiru Tumarkin LLP and a specific employer.