Dyson retrenches undisclosed number of staff in S'pore

Dyson retrenched workers in Singapore on Oct. 1.

The layoffs came as a surprise to employees.

It is unclear how many staff were let go.

This was after Dyson’s staff strength in Singapore rose by 35 per cent to nearly 2,000 in 2023, Mothership understands.

Singapore office thought to have been spared

Three months ago, the technology firm had said Singapore was “not directly impacted” by a global restructuring that saw 1,000 jobs cut in Britain

The Singapore office serves as its global head office and Dyson had announced it was stepping up investments here.

More than one round of layoffs?

Those laid off in Singapore were understood to be from the manufacturing and procurement departments, CNA reported.

Dyson had apparently already conducted a round of layoffs in Johor Bahru where it has a development centre.

CNA reported an employee saying Tuesday's round of layoffs were not expected to be the last.

A Dyson spokesperson said: “We constantly evolve the composition of our teams and take steps to ensure we have the right skills in the right places. Our ambitions in Singapore remain unchanged, and we anticipate that we will continue to grow here in the medium term.”

Union disappointed

The United Workers of Electronics and Electrical Industries (UWEEI) expressed disappointment at how little advance notice it was given.

UWEEI, which is affiliated to the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), said in its statement to Mothership: "UWEEI was disappointed that the union was only given one day's notice of the retrenchment exercise, leaving insufficient time for meaningful discussion between both parties."

"UWEEI has escalated the matter to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)," the statement added.

UWEEI also said it "stands ready to support affected workers" even as those retrenched "fall outside its scope of representation under the collective agreement with Dyson".

Dyson responds to union

Dyson’s spokesperson responded to the UWEEI statement by saying: “Dyson respectfully informed UWEEI in advance. Dyson is following all prevailing guidelines from the MOM and providing employees with the support they need, including outplacement services.”

The union added it will help affected workers with job searches and job matching, as well as support with career coaching and job training, alongside NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute (e2i).

It also urged companies to observe the NTUC's Fair Retrenchment Framework, which was set out to protect the Singaporean core of the workforce, to preserve jobs and provide job support.

Affected Dyson workers may contact UWEEI for assistance.

Background

Dyson is founded by British billionaire James Dyson.

It opened its first office at Science Park in 2007.

The Singapore headquarters have served as the firm’s global head office since 2019.

Singapore is also a hub for Dyson’s research, engineering, advanced manufacturing and supply chain operations.

Top photo via Google Maps