- 🔴Recruiting & Talent Acquisition (95%) ─ Reason: Hiring freezes, internal team surplus.
- 🔴Mid-level Management (85%) ─ Reason: Flattening hierarchy, duplicated oversight elimination.
- 🟡Basic Operations/Admin Support (75%) ─ Reason: Automation uptake, process streamlining.
Layoffs & Culture at Agoda
THE NUMBERS
THE SCALE
HISTORY
- 🔴Customer Support / Operations (90%) ─ Reason: Plummeting booking volume, easy automation target.
- 🔴Sales & Marketing (85%) ─ Reason: Ad budget slashed, leads vanished.
- 🟡Non-core Product / Development (75%) ─ Reason: Crisis focus, core survival priority.
- 🔴Recruiting & Talent Acquisition (95%) ─ Reason: Hiring freezes, growth stops, recruiters obsolete.
- 🔴Performance Marketing / Brand Marketing (90%) ─ Reason: No travel, no demand, marketing budget slashed.
- 🔴Customer Service / Support (88%) ─ Reason: Reduced bookings, fewer inquiries, cost center.
THE ANALYSIS
Agoda's workforce strategy from 2020 to 2026 has been predominantly characterized by strategic contraction and efficiency-driven adjustments, reflecting a responsive posture to both macro-economic shifts and internal optimization imperatives. The initial and most significant impact occurred in May 2020, when approximately 1,500 roles were eliminated as a direct response to the severe cost-cutting measures necessitated by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant drastic reduction in global travel demand. This period established a foundational shift towards a leaner operational model, prioritizing immediate financial stability. Subsequent workforce recalibrations, exemplified by the reduction of 50 positions in August 2025, underscore an ongoing commitment to optimizing resource deployment and adapting to evolving market dynamics. These more recent actions are explicitly driven by persistent cost pressures, evolving global restructuring initiatives, and challenges within recruitment, all contributing to a broader operational efficiency drive. The trajectory indicates a sustained focus on agility and cost management, moving from crisis-induced cuts to more targeted, strategic adjustments aimed at long-term sustainability and enhanced market responsiveness within a dynamic industry landscape, with the 2025 adjustments signaling a continued refinement of the organizational structure.
Agoda has eliminated a total of 1,550 positions across 3 workforce events.













