Asia Tech Wire (Sep 12) -- Samsung Electronics, the world's largest maker of smartphones, TVs and memory chips, is cutting its overseas workforce by as much as 30% in some divisions, according to Reuters.

Citing sources, the report said Samsung has instructed its global subsidiaries to cut sales and marketing staff by about 15% and administrative staff by as much as 30%.

Samsung will implement the layoff plan by the end of this year, affecting positions in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa.

The number of people involved in the layoffs and the details are not yet clear, the report said.

In response, Samsung said in a statement that staffing adjustments in some of its overseas operations were routine and aimed at improving efficiency.

The adjustments have no specific targets and will not affect its production staff, the statement stated.

By the end of 2023, Samsung had 267,800 employees, of which more than half, about 147,000, were working overseas.

Earlier this month, news broke that Samsung Electronics had decided to lay off employees in its China sales division, affecting about 130 people, or 8% of the unit's workforce.