Social media platform TikTok has confirmed reports of layoffs in Malaysia as part of a global workforce reduction.

Free Malaysia Today quoted a company spokesperson who confirmed the matter but was unable to reveal the exact numbers affected by the downsizing.

“We 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,” according to the spokesperson.

Further, the spokesperson said the decision aligns with TikTok’s ongoing efforts to enhance its content moderation capabilities.

“We expect to invest US$2 billion globally in trust and safety in 2024 alone and are continuing to improve the efficacy of our efforts, with 80 percent of violative content now removed by automated technologies,” said the spokesperson.

A source close to the Malaysian office told The Malaysian Reserve that more than 500 individuals were let go after receiving emails from the company.

It is said that most of the workers are working on content moderation on the platform which is not just limited to Southeast Asia, but other regions as well.

The confirmation follows reports yesterday quoting sources that TikTok, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, had let go of hundreds of employees in its Malaysian branch.

The Malaysian layoffs also followed speculations since earlier this year that TikTok was planning to reduce a significant portion of its global operations and marketing workforce.

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

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