Reports have been coming out that Apple has been laying off recently hired employees at its retail stores. Most of the reports are about the United Kingdom, but there are reports of similar actions taking place around the world. Other reports have been received about long term cutbacks in hours for part-timers in the United States and Canada.
According to one report, all employees at a certain store in the United Kingdom with less than six months of service have been laid off, including a group that had been hired only one month ago and had just completed their training program. New hiring has also been halted, and internal company transfers between stores have been placed on hold.
Other reports talk of newly hired employees being laid off, while employees who had recently been promoted having never received their pay raises, and are now being demoted back to previous positions.
An employee who was laid off at an Apple Store in the U.K. said three separate training groups have all been laid off within the past week.
Reports from the U.S. and Canada say part-time staff has been seeing significantly reduced hours for the past several month, with some staff reportedly having their hours cut back to zero. While source say they were promised their hours would be restored with the expected back-to-school rush, this has apparently not taken place. It has also been reported that Apple is limiting employee vacations, apparently to keep full-time staff on site, and reduce reliance on part-time employees.
With reports of the next-gen iPhone being set to launch next month, and the holiday shopping season following closely on its heels, hours could possibly be restored for Apple Store employees. But in the short-term, it appears a number of recent hires are already pounding the pavement looking for new employment.
