Yahoo! to cut jobs of journalists and social media teams in Singapore in favour of 3rd party content - Singapore News

Source: The Independent
Author: Anna Maria Romero

SINGAPORE: Yahoo Singapore is undergoing a significant change. The tech company is reportedly laying off all its journalists and social media teams and will instead curate third-party content.

A Yahoo spokesperson has said that Yahoo will change its editorial strategy to better align with Yahoo Singapore's strategic priorities.

"Readers can expect to continue seeing the content they most regularly engage with and enjoy.

We remain focused on delivering a diverse selection of high-quality and engaging news, lifestyle, and finance content from local and international sources," the spokesperson is quoted as saying.

The Edge Singapore reported on Monday (29 April) that seventeen staff members have been affected by the cuts and will receive a little more than two weeks' pay for every year of service.

A representative from the company's human resource department met with the affected staff on April 23, and the company's senior director of content for Australia and Southeast Asia, Mr Simon Wheeler, was also present.

The company is set to hire a market lead for Yahoo News Singapore, and three curation editors and the affected staff were told they could apply for these positions.

The position of curation editor was posted on the company's LinkedIn page on April 24. It's described as remote, full-time, and entry-level.

"We are seeking a dynamic and news-obsessed Curation Editor to join our team in Singapore.

You will take responsibility for the content of the homepage and other distribution channels, i.e. social and SEO, and ensure that we are delivering the best possible content mix and experience to our users," the post reads.

An affected employee told The Edge Singapore that their last town hall was held on April 19, and the company's financial position was not discussed during the meeting. There had been no hint that the layoffs were coming.

"We didn't expect these [layoffs] and it happened at a weird time in April. For us, everything has been business as usual and we didn't hear any news of a possible retrenchment.

We did hear of a retrenchment round in Yahoo US a couple of months ago and did think that some markets that did not do well may face the same consequences," The Edge Singapore quotes an affected employee as saying.

The Straits Times reported that the shift was made after the company's rigorous assessment, finding that engagement on the site was consistently driven by content from its partners, including HuffPost, AFP News, Reuters, EdgeProp, and The Edge Singapore. /TISG