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Chinese engineer flies to Singapore for job at e-commerce giant Shopee but offer is cancelled when he lands at Changi Airport

  • A Chinese engineer said he learned e-commerce giant Shopee rescinded his offer after landing in Singapore with his wife and dog
  • The city state is an attractive destination for Chinese workers and companies amid a slowing economy at home, but cutbacks are roiling tech firms worldwide

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Job cuts at Shopee have gone viral on Chinese social media after a post from one worker who learned of his rescinded offer after landing in Singapore. Photo: Shutterstock
Tracy Qu
Shopee, operator of the largest e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia, has cancelled a number of employment offers last minute, which gained attention in China when one worker posted his plight on WeChat after arriving in Singapore.

“I landed with my wife and dog and was told my offer [from Shopee] was cancelled while I was still at the airport,” a user going by “Lin Ge goes to Nanyang” wrote on his official WeChat account over the weekend.

The cuts from Shopee, owned by Tencent Holdings-backed Sea Limited, have largely affected technology positions in Singapore, where the company is based. Sea is one of many tech companies around the world cutting back amid a slowing global economy and fears of recession.

The company confirmed to the Post it cancelled some tech roles. “Due to adjustments to hiring plans on some tech teams, a number of roles at Shopee are no longer available. We are working closely to support those affected,” Sea said in a statement.

Shopee is offering compensation of one month’s salary and travel expenses to those affected, according to a source close to company who declined to be named as the information is not public.

“Going back to three days ago, I might not have believed it,” Lin Ge said in his WeChat post. “This WeChat official account was created on May 17, 2022, to share my life in Singapore and algorithm technology. But it turns out my first article is about my unemployment, job hunting and how to negotiate compensation.”

Lin Ge’s story has attracted wide attention on Chinese social media platforms Weibo and Maimai, with some users sharing similar experiences. “Three days before officially joining Shopee, I received a notice that my offer had been cancelled,” one person wrote on Maimai, a professional networking site that rivals Microsoft’s LinkedIn. The post attracted hundreds of comments and reposts.
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