Meta Begins 3,000 Job Cuts in Africa, Europe & Asia – Who’s Affected?
Meta is kicking off another round of layoffs today, February 10, 2024, with 3,000 employees set to lose their jobs across Africa, Europe, and Asia. The company will start notifying affected staff early in the morning, around 5 a.m. local time in many regions, including Africa.
However, employees in Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands won’t be impacted due to strong local labor laws. In other parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, job cuts will roll out between February 11 and 18.
This wave of layoffs targets Meta’s so-called “lowest performers,” slashing about 5% of its workforce. In an internal memo seen by Reuters, Janelle Gale, Meta’s Head of People, described the move as “performance terminations.” Unlike previous mass layoffs, Meta isn’t shutting down offices or making major public statements this time.
AI Takes Priority as Meta Cuts Jobs
While thousands are losing their jobs, Meta is also actively hiring. The company is aggressively recruiting machine learning engineers and other key tech roles. A separate memo from Peng Fan, Meta’s VP of Engineering for Monetization, urged employees to help fast-track hiring between February 11 and March 13. This push signals Meta’s growing focus on AI in 2025.
How Will This Impact Nigeria?
Meta has been quietly scaling down in Nigeria for months. In June 2023, it reduced its Lagos office space after laying off at least 35 employees, including its entire Nigerian engineering team. At the time, Meta dismissed it as part of a “real estate review,” but the latest cuts suggest the company is pulling back even more from Africa.
It’s unclear how many Nigerian employees will be affected this time, but given recent trends, Africa could take another major hit.
