Tiktok Lays Off Trust And Safety Employees In Singapore Amid Global Downsizing

SINGAPORE: Social media platform TikTok laid off several employees from its Trust and Safety unit in Singapore on 20 February 2025.

The affected staff worked at the company’s office in Raffles Quay, and at least 12 employees were dismissed with immediate effect, according to state media The Straits Times (ST).

A LinkedIn user, who identified as a product manager on the affected team, shared that he was made redundant as part of the latest wave of layoffs at TikTok.

He stated that the retrenchment impacted “multiple departments across Trust and Safety” and involved “some really bright and passionate individuals.”

TikTok, in an email to affected employees, stated that the decision was made “after months of careful consideration” to enhance “operational efficiency” and align with business needs, according to ST.

The layoffs are reportedly part of a broader effort to downsize the company’s backend teams worldwide.

Global restructuring and automation

Besides Singapore, employees from TikTok’s offices in Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the United States were also impacted, Reuters reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

The company is shifting its strategies, with some online discussions suggesting that it is replacing manual jobs with automation.

A Reddit user noted that despite the layoffs, TikTok continues to hire, particularly in roles related to automation, which is expected to lead to a net loss of labour while increasing profitability.

In January 2024, TikTok’s chief executive officer (CEO) Chew Shou Zi told the United States Congress that the company employed 40,000 trust and safety professionals worldwide.

He also announced that TikTok planned to invest more than US$2 billion (S$2.67 billion) in trust and safety initiatives.

Notably, the layoffs come just two days after Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) announced that TikTok had the highest safety rating among six social media platforms in the country.

Layoffs in the wider tech industry

TikTok’s job cuts follow a series of recent layoffs in the tech industry. On 10 February 2025, Facebook’s parent company, Meta, laid off several employees at its Singapore office as part of its “performance terminations.”

This was part of a broader downsizing effort affecting 3,600 employees globally, representing 5% of Meta’s workforce.

On 13 February 2025, Singapore-based property technology company PropertyGuru retrenched 174 employees—approximately 12% of its workforce.

The company also shut down three business units, including its home services platform, Sendhelper.

Trevor Mather, chairman of PropertyGuru’s board of directors, stated that the decision was made to build “a more focused, agile, and effective organisation” for long-term success.

The ongoing layoffs across multiple tech firms highlight a trend of cost-cutting and restructuring efforts amid evolving business strategies and economic challenges.

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