We. Communications lays off staff in Singapore amid rising competition and client budget cuts

Global public relations firm We. Communications has laid off employees in its Singapore office, though the number affected has not been disclosed.

In an email to staff on 25 September, the US-headquartered agency said it had been grappling with rising competition and a growing trend of clients moving PR functions in-house over the past six to 12 months.

This shift had created “significant budget gaps for the agency.”

Confirming the retrenchments on 26 September, a company spokesman told The Straits Times that a “small number of roles” had been cut as part of a business realignment.

However, he declined to specify how many workers were affected, which positions were removed, or whether severance packages were offered.

According to The Business Times, affected staff ranged from entry-level employees to at least one director, with most being relatively new hires of less than two years.

The spokesman added that the company would support displaced workers with “care and respect,” including strong references and transition assistance.

He also noted that We. Communications had followed responsible retrenchment guidelines outlined by Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower.

“We continue to maintain a significant presence in Singapore, and are committed to serving our clients and investing in our long-term future here,” he said.

As of May 2025, the company employed about 1,300 staff globally, according to PRWeek.

Global layoffs and business challenges

In June, We. Communications announced that it would lay off 2 per cent of its global workforce due to budget reductions tied to select technology-sector clients.

One of its largest clients, Microsoft, had itself cut about 15,000 jobs earlier in 2025 across two rounds of layoffs, significantly affecting marketing and communications contracts.

In Singapore, the affected roles reportedly spanned the creative, digital, PR and communications, operations, special projects, and integrated marketing teams.

Sources familiar with the matter said that performance reviews for employees not impacted by the layoffs had been temporarily paused.

Broader retrenchment trend in Singapore

The cuts at We. Communications add to a growing list of retrenchments across major firms in Singapore in recent months.

On 17 September, online travel agency Agoda confirmed layoffs in Singapore, Shanghai and Budapest as part of a “continuous improvement drive to enhance operational efficiency,” affecting about 50 employees locally.

Earlier in the month, Mediacorp — Singapore’s national media network and a wholly owned subsidiary of Temasek — retrenched 93 staff as part of a major restructuring initiative. The decision, announced on 1 September, affected just over 3 per cent of the company’s total workforce.

In August, Changi Travel Services laid off 30 employees amid ongoing efforts to adapt to changing travel market conditions, while logistics provider Ninja Van cut about 12 per cent of its Singapore workforce.

According to the Ministry of Manpower’s latest labour market report, there were 3,540 retrenchments in the second quarter of 2025, comparable to the 3,590 recorded in the first quarter — signalling continued caution among employers across multiple sectors.