New Delhi

China’s major technology companies have trimmed nearly 1.3 lakh jobs over the past year as rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and corporate restructuring reshape the sector, with a new report criticising the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) for remaining silent over the large-scale workforce disruption.

The report from Sri Lanka-based Daily Mirror said Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, Meituan and Baidu have announced tens of thousands of job cuts, with some divisions — notably travel, content and e-commerce support — reporting cuts of 30 per cent to 50 per cent. Over the past 18 months, the five major internet companies collectively have laid off more than 1.3 lakh staff, the report said. Alibaba’s headcount fell from about 194,000 to 128,000, while Baidu cut nearly 10,000 employees and JD.com is planning about 12,000 job cuts. Companies announced the cuts as part of a shift to AI-driven products and services. Beijing’s “AI Plus Action Plan” aims for 70 per cent AI penetration in key industries by 2027 and 90 per cent by 2030. Tools like Alibaba’s Wukong platform promise to automate entire departments.