The layoff season, the largest seen in history, is still on. So far, from Meta to Amazon, 570 companies have laid off 168,918 employees this year only, reported Layoffs.fyi, which tracks such announcements across the globe.
After handing over pink slips to employees across the world, big US tech giants are now finding it difficult to reduce employee headcount in Europe.
In the US and other countries, all these tech companies had to do was just announce the layoff, and thousands of employees would lose their jobs swiftly. But in many European countries, mass layoffs are almost impossible because of the labour protection laws prevalent there, which make it incumbent on companies to consult with employees' interest groups before firing any of their staff.
Labour laws in France and Germany are strongest
Google's parent company Alphabet Inc is currently in talks to reduce the headcount in the firm through voluntary departure and massive severance packages. Amazon is also trying to lay off some senior staff by offering as much as a year's pay, and granting leave to departing employees so their shares can vest and later be paid out as bonuses.
According to the laws in France, "Companies are legally required to consult with these councils before executing layoffs, which involves a potentially time-consuming process of data collection, discussions, and the option of appealing".
In Germany too, Amazon is firing people on probation and offering them an option to resign voluntarily.
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Amazon laid off 100 employees in its game division as part of its larger job cut initiative, affecting the company's employees at Prime Gaming, Game Growth, and the company’s San Diego studio.
Amazon missed some good opportunities to capitalise on its resources in gaming, including its crown channel, an entertainment show on the Twitch streaming service. Twitch also laid off around 400 positions. It even cancelled and removed titles from sale since it began in 2012.
