Xiaomi India will lay off employees as the handset maker is looking to bring its headcount below 1,000. The decision is backed by a fall in Xiaomi's market share in the country and the government's scrutiny of the smartphone OEM and the need to streamline its operations, the media has reported. According to a report by Economic Times, which cited several former and present employees, Xiaomi India employed approximately 1,400-1,500 staff, at the beginning of 2023. However, in recent weeks, Xiaomi India has laid off around 30 employees, with more employees likely to be handed pink slips in the months ahead.
The ET report added, citing a Xiaomi spokesperson that the decision behind the job cuts is based on the business outlook and that the "local Indian leadership has been empowered."
Xiaomi India's declining market share is being attributed to "internal organisational issues" and significant decision-making authority being centralised at the Chinese headquarters. The handset maker was at the top spot in the Indian smartphone market and the leading smartphone brand in India, but it lost its status to South Korean tech giant Samsung in the third and fourth quarters of the last fiscal.
To recall, Manu Jain, who was credited with establishing the brand's smartphone category in India, quit the company in January, after nine years.
"Change is the only constant in life! Last 9 years, I’m lucky to have received so much love that it makes this goodbye so difficult. Thank you all. ❤️ The end of a journey also marks the beginning of a new one, full of exciting opportunities. Hello to a new adventure! #ManuJain," Jain had announced in a tweet.
Earlier in December last year, Xiaomi, China's biggest smartphone maker said it was implementing organisational restructuring and personnel optimisation that will affect less than 10 per cent of its total workforce. Earlier reports had claimed that Xiaomi may cut 15 per cent of its workforce amid Covid-19-induced lockdowns in the country.