SINGAPORE - Job cuts by social media giant Meta have hit Singapore, according to public posts on professional networking platform LinkedIn and sources who spoke to The Straits Times.

This comes following a leaked internal memo by Meta's vice-president of human resources Janelle Gale in February, which communicated its plans to carry out company-wide layoffs globally.

According to the note, notices were expected to go out to employees losing their jobs starting at 9pm Singapore time on Feb 10 in most countries, including in the US. Workers in more than a dozen countries across Europe, Asia and Africa would receive their notifications between Feb 11 and 18, it said.

A LinkedIn user who identified herself as Meta's product manager based in Singapore said in a public post on Feb 11 that while this is not the first wave of layoffs she had witnessed during her almost three-year tenure at the firm, it "never gets easier".

"Yesterday's Meta layoffs have been deeply emotional and challenging for many of us," she wrote, adding the hashtag #metalayoffs as an act of solidarity among those impacted.

 "Each time, it's heartbreaking to wake up and see deactivated profiles - colleagues who suddenly cannot log in any more, facing an uphill battle to move forward."

She also noted in her post that some employees who were let go had taken maternity or parental leave in 2024. 

Mr Christopher Fong, co-founder of career networking platform Key, helped organise a two-hour gathering at a bar in Clarke Quay on Feb 13 to help the laid-off Meta workers connect with one another. The session was co-organised by two former Meta staff who lost their jobs during the previous rounds of cuts.

"People who have been through layoffs want to help and offer a sense of comfort and inspiration to others going through the same," he told ST, adding that the session was meant to provide immediate support to the "first batch" of the February 2025 layoffs.

"We want to share learnings on how to bounce back from a layoff, consider career opportunities and provide support, whether it's coffee, hike, conversation to any tech professional that needs it," he wrote on LinkedIn.

He added that the platform offers multiple targeted channels, such as layoff advice and mental and well-being support, for laid-off workers to find support from the wider tech community.

The organisers told ST that about 20 people turned up at the session - out of which, about half were laid off earlier in the week.

Event co-organiser Grace Clapham, one of the leaders in the Apac Meta alumni community, said the roles that were cut in Singapore cover a broad range of functions, including those in engineering, partnerships, global business operations and policy.

Organisers said affected staff need different kinds of support, from managing the first 30 days to quickly finding a support group they can be vulnerable with, although noting as well that some would not be ready to speak to others.

Event co-organiser Anand Kumar Ramakrishnan said two Meta Singapore employees who were laid off had returned to work from paternal leave and medical leave in late 2024 respectively. He added that the person who was on medical leave had asked the firm's human resources representative if the absence would be counted against her, and had received the reply then that it would not.

Ms Eunice Grace Choong, a certified Institute for Human Resource Professionals senior professional, said Singapore's legal framework provides specific protections when it comes to retrenchment practices involving employees on medical or parental leave.

She noted that while it is unlawful to dismiss employees during their maternity, paternity or medical leave periods under the Employment Act and Child Development Co-Savings Act, retrenchment after the leave period is "not strictly illegal".

But it may be challenged if perceived as discriminatory through channels such as the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management or Employment Claims Tribunals, she said.

"When companies appear to correlate retrenchment with legitimate leave usage, it creates both legal and reputational risks," she said, adding that this potentially discourages employees from utilising their entitled benefits for fear of career repercussions.

"Performance evaluation should primarily focus on task performance - an employee's ability to deliver core job responsibilities - rather than contextual factors such as attendance patterns," she added.

The Creative Media and Publishing Union (CMPU) noted that Meta is a non-unionised company.

The union spokesperson said: "Retrenchment exercises where there are individual union members working in non-unionised companies, the National Trades Union Congress' (NTUC) affiliated unions or associations will extend assistance to these individual members should they be affected by the exercise." 

Affected workers and union members are also encouraged to contact CMPU at 6213-8510 or via e-mail at cmpu@ntuc.org.sg for assistance.

Meta had previously announced that the layoffs are set to cut 5 per cent of its "lowest performers", impacting about 3,600 jobs worldwide, including those in Asia. Meta had relocated its Singapore staff to new offices at Marina One, after opting not to renew its lease for seven floors of office space at South Beach Tower.

In response to ST queries, a Meta spokesperson would only point to past articles on its "performance terminations" which were announced in mid-January, without specifying the breakdown by country. 

Ms Choong said: "Performance metrics should be normalised to account for actual working time, rather than calendar time, to ensure employees are not penalised for legitimate absences. This approach not only protects employee rights, but also maintains organisational integrity and trust in the employer brand."

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.