Report: Expedia Group laying off tech workers as part of restructuring

Expedia Group is reportedly trimming its headcount as the Seattle-based travel giant restructures its business.

According to an internal email that was obtained by GeekWire, the company is laying off an undisclosed number of tech workers. Those impacted include members of Expedia Group’s Traveler Products team.

“As we have begun looking to 2024, it is important that we are ready to ‘Build the world’s most loved AI powered travel apps.’ These changes to our [organization] will help us take the next steps to move quickly and stay tightly aligned while simplifying where we can,” Tript Singh Lamba, a senior vice president, said in the email.

In addition to the job cuts, the company announced a series of changes to its executive leadership. Expedia Group disclosed that its vice president of research and advocacy was leaving to pursue other opportunities.

The company employs a total workforce of more than 22,400 people, according to LinkedIn. Over 370 workers are located in Canada.

Major layoffs continue

Reports of job cuts at Expedia Group come amid a flurry of layoffs in 2023.

Major North American companies, including Roku, RBC, Dell, Telus, Amazon, Microsoft, Ritual, and Meta, are significantly scaling back their staffing levels as they continue to navigate challenging economic conditions.

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Termination agreements for Expedia Group employees

In Canada, non-unionized employees at Expedia Group 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 pay for provincially regulated employees
• Severance entitlements during mass layoffs
• Rights to severance during a recession

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.