E-commerce retailer eBay announced on Tuesday (January 23) that it will lay off 1000 employees, approximately 9% of its current workforce.
In a letter shared with employees, eBay CEO Jamie Iannone wrote, "Although we have made progress in our strategy, our overall workforce and associated costs have exceeded the growth of our business."
He pointed out, "To address this issue, we are implementing organizational change, adjusting and integrating certain teams to improve end-to-end experience and better meet the needs of global customers."
Iannone also added in the report that in addition to layoffs, the company will also reduce the number of contracts for its informal employees in the coming months.
Over the years, eBay's market share has been eroded by larger competitors such as Amazon and Wal Mart, and eBay has also been gradually selling some of its businesses. CEO Jamie Iannone pointed out that he is looking for a niche market for the platform.
On Tuesday, eBay's stock price closed at $41.41, up nearly 4% in after hours trading. The stock has experienced a 13% decline in the past year.
The layoff wave in the technology industry
Tuesday's announcement marks eBay's second round of layoffs in 12 months.
This company announced in February 2023 that it would lay off approximately 500 employees globally, accounting for about 4% of its total workforce at the time, citing a slowdown in consumer spending following the e-commerce boom driven by the pandemic.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the US technology industry had large-scale recruitment, including giants such as Amazon and Google.
After the large-scale recruitment, it is bound to bring adjustments. Ironically, according to the latest data from Layoff. fyi, a company that tracks layoffs in the technology industry, over 60 technology companies, including Amazon and Google's parent company Alphabet, have already laid off nearly 11000 employees in just three weeks this year.