Chinese fast-fashion retailer Shein has announced layoffs affecting about two dozen employees at its Singapore headquarters, part of a restructuring within its global IT research and development center.

The affected employees learned of their layoffs on Wednesday, which come as Shein prepares for its IPO in London, a strategic shift from its previous plans to list in New York.

Despite the layoffs, Shein has indicated it would increase its workforce in Singapore, with multiple positions currently advertised.

“As Shein continues to grow its operations in Singapore with a newly expanded office to accommodate its increasing workforce, the company has also restructured the Singapore arm of its IT R&D team, relocating some positions to other markets as part of its ongoing strategy for continued global expansion, localization and to drive efficiency,” the company said in Monday’s statement to Tech in Asia.

“A total of 17 employees in the Singapore office have been affected and were notified on September 25, 2024,” it added.

This story added a statement from Shein on 30 September 2024, clarifying that the employees were not laid off, but relocated to other markets. The South China Morning Post ran the article with the “Shein makes rare job cuts in Singapore as London IPO remains in limbo” headline.