Zomato laid off about 13% of its workforce.

Homegrown unicorn startup Zomato has requested companies to hire its laid off staff and has also shared its ‘talent directory’ publicly so that potential employers can find these workers. “Zomato has been built by some of the most passionate people, who have brought us closer to our vision every day. A humble request to all organisations that are hiring to review the Zomato Talent Directory,” Deepinder Goyal, CEO, Zomato, said in a tweet recently. Zomato had let go off about 13% of its workforce recently in the wake of coronavirus and drying up revenues. The employees who were asked to leave the company belong to various teams such as content, management and marketing etc. 

As the coronavirus lockdown has taken a heavy toll on the revenues of companies across various sectors which also forced these companies to impose pay cuts as well. Those who have higher salaries were asked to take 50% cut on their salaries. Zomato’s business has also been severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic with the restaurant industry alone to contract by 25 to 40% as customers remain skeptical about eating out due to safety concerns. “Multiple aspects of our business have changed dramatically over the last couple of months and many of these changes are expected to be permanent. While we continue to build a more focused Zomato, we do not foresee having enough work for all our employees,” the company’s communication to laid off employees said. 

Zomato wasn’t the only food aggregator which laid off employees. Soon after it, Zomato’s chief rival Swiggy also trimmed its employee strength by about 1,000. “While COVID might have long-term tailwinds for the delivery business and digital commerce when things settle eventually, nobody knows how long the uncertainty will last,” Sriharsha Majety, CEO, Swiggy, said in a communication to the employees.