LinkedIn mass layoffs: Jobs platform cuts more staff after celebrating its 20th anniversary

It’s more bad news for the tech industry as another major platform has announced layoffs. LinkedIn, which is owned by Microsoft, is cutting 716 positions. The cuts come after LinkedIn laid off an undisclosed number of workers on its talent acquisition team back in February, as reported then by The Information. The new cuts also follow the massive layoffs that owner Microsoft made across its other divisions in January.



The additional 716 LinkedIn job losses were announced to employees via an email from CEO Ryan Roslansky, which LinkedIn posted online on Monday. In the email, Roslansky noted that the cuts come just a week after LinkedIn celebrated a major milestone—its 20th anniversary.



The layoffs equate to about 4% of LinkedIn’s workforce, which stood at “more than 19,000 full-time employees,” according to LinkedIn’s statistics. One of the main reasons for the cuts, noted Roslansky, was the need for increased agility. “With the market and customer demand fluctuating more, and to serve emerging and growth markets more effectively, we are expanding the use of vendors,” the CEO wrote. “We are also removing layers, reducing management roles and broadening responsibilities to make decisions more quickly.”



In addition to the jobs cuts, Roslansky also announced that LinkedIn will be shuttering its Chinese local jobs app, InCareer, by August. The app has “encountered fierce competition and a challenging macroeconomic climate,” Roslansky said.