Singapore – Global public relations agency We. Communications has laid off staff at its Singapore office as part of efforts to “realign” its business.
The company confirmed the retrenchments on Friday (September 26). In a response to CNA, a spokesperson said the agency continues to maintain a strong presence in Singapore and remains committed to serving clients while “investing in our long-term future.”
About eight employees were affected, representing roughly 7 per cent of the local workforce. In a statement to The Business Times (BT), the company described the move as “the difficult decision to realign parts of its business.”
According to BT, sources said the layoffs cut across multiple departments and levels of seniority, from entry-level staff to at least one director. The majority were relatively new hires of less than two years, with one employee reportedly having been with the company for under a month.
Those affected were offered severance packages, though details were not disclosed. Teams impacted included creative, digital, PR and communications, operations, and special projects, with the creative unit said to have lost about half its staff.
“Our priority is to support affected colleagues with care and respect. This includes strong references, access to job search resources through government initiatives, optional reduced-capacity contracts, and ongoing assistance from our HR team,” the company said in a statement quoted by BT.
“We have followed the responsible retrenchment recommendations outlined by the Singapore Ministry of Manpower and have provided severance packages that go above local requirements to ease the transition.”
Internal communications seen by the media noted that the agency has faced significant shifts over the past year—particularly in the last six months—including shrinking client budgets and a growing trend of companies moving PR functions in-house. This, the agency said, has led to “an incredible increase in competition.”
Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, We. Communications was founded in 1983 by Melissa Waggener Zorkin, who remains its global chief executive officer. The agency, which rebranded from WE Communications in March, employs more than 1,500 people across over 100 markets, according to its website.
The latest cuts follow a broader workforce reduction earlier this year, when the agency laid off 2 per cent of its global staff, mostly in the United States.
We. Communications now joins other companies in Singapore, such as Agoda and Ninja Van, that have announced workforce reductions in recent months.
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