7 Big-Name Companies That Have Laid Off Staff In Canada So Far In 2023
Tech, retail and media are all affected industries.
The Google Montreal sign. Right: A Nordstrom location.
Some of the biggest companies in Canada have announced layoffs in the first quarter of 2023, and it looks like thousands of employees across multiple sectors will be affected.
On March 2, Nordstrom announced that it would be closing down all of its Canadian stores, leading to mass layoffs. However, it's not the only company letting people go.
Companies in industries ranging from tech and retail to media have laid staff off over the last few months, with hundreds or sometimes thousands of employees being let go from their positions.
To give Canadians a lay of the land, here are some of the big-name companies in Canada that have had massive layoffs in 2023 so far — and why.
Nordstrom
This remains one of the most recent layoff announcements in Canada.
On March 2, Nordstrom announced that it would be closing down all 13 of its stores in Canada, including six Nordstrom and seven Nordstrom Rack stores.
This means that 2,500 employees are expected to lose their jobs according to The Globe and Mail.
The affected stores are located across Canada, including in B.C., Alberta, and Ontario, and the company has already started the process of winding down operations.
The shutdown and subsequent layoffs, according to the company, are a product of no "realistic path to profitability for the Canadian business."
In January, Google announced that it would be laying off 12,000 employees worldwide.
While the exact number of Canadians expected to lose their jobs is unknown, The Canadian Press reports that affected employees in Canada have been notified of their dismissal.
The reason given for the cuts is that those hired were brought on during a different economic climate than the one we find ourselves in now.
Amazon
In January, retail giant Amazon announced that it would be laying off 18,000 people across the United States, Canada and Costa Rica.
The exact amount of Canadian jobs affected by this remains unknown, however Reuters says the January cuts account for roughly 6% of the company's workforce.
The biggest impacts will be in departments like e-commerce and human resources.
According to the company, the layoffs were precipitated by the pandemic boom, followed by the worsening of the global economy.
Hudson's Bay Company
One of Canada's oldest companies also announced layoffs that will affect about 2% of its workforce, according to The Financial Post.
First reported in January, about 250 employees are suspected to be out of the job in the corporate, online and brick and mortar divisions — however, it has been said that retail employees are not going to be affected.
No specific reason was given for the layoffs, other than "significant external pressures."
Postmedia
In January, one of Canada's biggest media companies announced that it will be cutting 11% of its roughly 650 journalists.
Per The Toronto Star, the amount of media employees out of a job has not been confirmed, but these layoffs will affect people in newsrooms across Canada.
The specific reasons for the layoffs have not been cited.
Microsoft
Tech giant Microsoft also announced layoffs in January.
About 5% of its global workforce was let go which equals about 10,000 employees, the company said.
While the exact number of Canadians affected by this isn't known, the tech company does have offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City.
These layoffs are a product of what the company claims are "macroeconomic conditions and changing customer priorities."
Global News
Layoffs also took place at one of Canada's top media companies.
As confirmed by the Canadian broadcast industry publication Broadcast Dialogue, the company's owner, Corus, said that layoffs have affected the entire company.
According to Corus, these layoffs are "part of managing the post-pandemic climate and unexpected economic uncertainty."
Again, no specific number of employees leaving has been released, but Unifor, a union representing 800 employees at Global, has condemned the layoffs.
"Journalists are the backbone of our democracy. We need to save local news by investing in newsrooms – not cutting them," said Lana Payne, the union's president in a press release.
That being said, it's not all bad news.
There are still plenty of jobs and organizations that are looking for employees.
For example, there are several Government of Canada jobs in immigration open now and you can earn almost $80,000 with no degree.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.