SOCIAL MEDIA Platform TikTok has confirmed reports of layoffs in Malaysia as part of a global workforce reduction.

A spokesman from the company however said they are unable to give a precise figure at this time, owing to varying local employment regulation processes around the world.

“We anticipate that several hundred people will be impacted globally,” said the spokesman.

The spokesman also confirms the decision aligns with TikTok’s ongoing efforts to enhance its content moderation capabilities.

Yesterday, The Malaysian Reserve reported that TikTok, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, had let go of hundreds of employees in its Malaysian branch.

Citing a source, the report indicated that more than 500 individuals received termination emails, with most working in content moderation roles on the platform.

In May, CNN reported that TikTok was planning to reduce a significant portion of its global operations and marketing workforce.

In June, Bloomberg reported ByteDance laid off 450 staff at its Indonesian unit following the acquisition of a local e-commerce firm, which was integrated into TikTok’s operations.

That same month, the Chinese firm announced plans to invest RM10 billion in Malaysia to establish the country as a regional hub for artificial intelligence.

The global layoffs are expected to hit teams that handle user support and communications, as well as content and marketing.

The American based news company also added TikTok’s current global user operations team will be dismantled as part of the move, and remaining employees will be distributed among the company’s trust and safety, marketing, content and product teams. — TMR