TikTok says cuts are part of 'reorganisation' strengthen its global operating model for trust, safety
TikTok has confirmed that it is laying off staff in Singapore as part of a global reorganisation of its trust and safety team, marking the second consecutive year the company has trimmed the workforce responsible for content moderation and platform safety, according to reports.
A TikTok spokesperson told Singapore media that the company is continuing a reorganisation to strengthen its global operating model for trust and safety.
"We are continuing a reorganisation to strengthen our global operating model for trust and safety, including centralising portions of our workforce within key operating hubs and evolving the way we work to ensure teams remain scalable and agile," a spokesperson told The Straits Times.
TikTok did not disclose the number of employees affected in Singapore.
However, an affected employee told Mothership they knew of around 20 people from their team who were affected, having received an email that morning. The employee described the situation in the office as "hectic."
According to TikTok, its priority is to treat employees with respect, care and transparency throughout the process, and it is providing support consistent with local laws and regulations, Mothership reported.
The company added it is committed to ensuring affected employees receive the information, resources, and benefits available to them during the transition.
TikTok did not attribute the layoffs to its push for AI-driven moderation, though it said it would continue advancing platform safety through technological innovation, The Straits Times reported.
The Creative Media and Publishing Union (CMPU) said that while TikTok Singapore is not a unionised company, some employees are union members.
"In retrenchment exercises where there are individual union members working in non-unionised companies, NTUC's affiliated unions or associations will extend assistance to these individual union members should they be affected by the exercise," CMPU said as quoted by The Straits Times.
This is the second round of cuts to TikTok's trust and safety team in two years. In February 2025, the company laid off at least a dozen employees in Singapore as part of an internal restructuring exercise aimed at increasing operational efficiency and aligning its workforce with business needs.
Job cuts beyond Singapore
The layoffs coincided with cuts at other TikTok and ByteDance offices in the region in July.
The latest round of layoffs also coincided with cuts at other TikTok and ByteDance offices in the region on July 1.
In Indonesia, The Straits Times reported, citing CNBC Indonesia, that more than 450 employees in TikTok Shop-Tokopedia's technology unit were retrenched.
The Straits Times also reported, citing Bloomberg, that TikTok had slashed about 300 jobs at its European hub in Dublin, Ireland.
In Malaysia, several affected employees took to social media on July 1 to describe their experiences, with one ByteDance AI quality assurance specialist describing being escorted out of the Kuala Lumpur office.
