Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, announced in a statement and in an email to U.S-based affected staff, that the company will be cutting approximately 12,000 jobs or six per cent of its workforce.

Pichai said the process of informing affected employees from other countries will take longer due to local laws and practices.

This round of layoffs adds to the tens of thousands of job cuts recently announced by Microsoft, Amazon, Meta and Twitter. At least 48,000 jobs have been slashed by major tech companies since the start of this year.

Pichai echoed the same reasons as other companies for culling Google’s headcount: tough economic days, a ballooning workforce during the pandemic that fit “a different reality to the one [Google] faces today” and big bets on AI that demand “tough choices”.

“We’ve undertaken a rigorous review across product areas and functions to ensure that our people and roles are aligned with our highest priorities as a company,” said Pichai. “The roles we’re eliminating reflect the outcome of that review. They cut across Alphabet, product areas, functions, levels and regions.”

Affected employees in the U.S. will receive a full notification period (minimum 60 days), a severance package starting at 16 weeks salary plus two weeks for every additional year at Google, 2022 bonuses, and remaining vacation time, six months of healthcare, job placement services, and immigration support.

Employees outside the U.S. will be supported in line with local practices, according to the company.

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