Tencent Cuts 5,500 Jobs in First Quarterly Workforce Decline Since 2014

Chinese tech large Tencent on Wednesday posted its first drop in quarterly income since going public, as the corporate grapples with China’s financial downturn, pandemic disruptions and ongoing scrutiny from regulators. Revenue within the second quarter fell three % to CNY 134 billion (roughly Rs. 1,57,000 crore) in comparison with the 12 months earlier than, whereas earnings plunged by 56 % to CNY 18.6 billion (roughly Rs. 21,800 crore), an earnings assertion stated.

Tencent additionally minimize round 5,500 jobs right down to 110,715 workers by the tip of June, the primary quarterly decline in workforce since 2014.

“We actively exited non-core businesses, tightened our marketing spending, and trimmed operating expenses, enabling us to sequentially increase our non-IFRS earnings, despite difficult revenue conditions,” the corporate stated within the assertion.

Around half of Tencent’s revenues got here from fintech and enterprise providers in addition to internet marketing, which might place the corporate for development when China’s economic system expands, the corporate added.

China has spent months cracking down on the online game trade to combat habit amongst youngsters, slicing into earnings of giants like Tencent and its rival NetEase.

Beijing began approving new video video games once more in April after a hiatus, however no Tencent video games have been on the record, that means it should depend on older titles like Honor of Kings for income.

Tencent stated China’s home gaming market was dealing with “transitional challenges”, whereas the worldwide market was in a “post-pandemic digestion period” as individuals resumed spending on different leisure avenues.

Online promoting income fell a file 18 % within the second quarter year-on-year, which mirrored “notable weakness in the Internet services, education and finance sectors”, the agency added.

“Tencent has tightened its belt as the Chinese tech industry embraces a downturn,” Analyst Willer Chen at Forsyth Barr Asia advised Bloomberg News.

“The company’s performance now largely depends on its progress on cost control and operation optimisation.”

Tech sector reeling

Tencent is among the many greatest names in China’s tech trade that’s nonetheless reeling from Beijing’s regulatory crackdown, which started in late 2020 to focus on anti-competitive practices and put an finish to a decade of freewheeling development.

The regulatory actions have wiped greater than $1 trillion (roughly Rs. 79,43,800 crore) off the mixed market worth of the nation’s tech giants in 2021, in response to Bloomberg News estimates — although Tencent has retained the crown as China’s most beneficial firm.

The newest financial droop has additional broken backside traces for the sector’s greatest companies, with Alibaba Group earlier this month reporting flat quarterly income development for the primary time.

Shares in Tencent rose lower than 0.1 % in Hong Kong earlier than the Wednesday outcomes announcement.

The announcement got here a day after information broke that Tencent plans to promote all or a lot of its $24 billion (roughly Rs. 1,90,600) stake in Chinese meals supply large Meituan.

The Hong Kong-listed shares of Meituan fell greater than 10 % on Tuesday following the information, whereas Tencent dipped barely earlier than recovering.

Tencent went public in Hong Kong in 2004 and loved double-digit development for a lot of China’s decades-long web increase, dominating the market with instantaneous messaging app WeChat and its roster of video games.

Earnings information on the corporate’s efficiency earlier than its itemizing on the inventory trade isn’t publicly accessible.