The e-commerce firm has reportedly terminated all its chief marketing officers in different countries and laid off a significant portion of its staff in Malaysia, including the CEO and chief logistics officer.

Additionally, Lazada has closed LazMall in Vietnam, a platform for international brands launched in 2018.

The retrenchment, first reported by The Edge Singapore on January 3, includes a wide range of positions, from associates to senior vice presidents.

As a response, Luca Suino of Momentum Commerce has encouraged affected employees to share their CVs on LinkedIn. Arun Kumar and Gerald Young, former Lazada employees, have also initiated a WhatsApp group to support those impacted.

Tech In Asia reports that Lazada plans to cut about 30 per cent of its workforce region-wide. This comes after a period of expansion where the company employed up to 10,000 staff across six countries.

The lay-offs have raised concerns among unions, particularly in Singapore where Lazada staff are represented by the Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union (FDAWU). The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) has expressed disappointment over Lazada's failure to consult the union before initiating the lay-offs.

The Ministry of Manpower (MoM) has been involved following FDAWU's escalation of the issue, with NTUC urging companies to consider retrenchments as a last resort and to avoid executing them during festive periods.

Lazada's regional communications team and MoM have yet to comment publicly.