SINGAPORE, Nov 4 – Singapore’s media giant SPH Media has today announced that it is letting go 34 employees as part of a restructuring in its technology division.

The Straits Times, which is published by SPH Media, reported that the affected roles span different teams and levels, representing about 10 per cent of the division’s workforce.

"This was a difficult decision that we have had to make,” SPH Media’s chief operating officer Loh Yuh Yiing and chief technology officer Kaythaya Maw was quoted telling staff of the decision via an internal e-mail this morning.

In a separate statement, SPH Media said the move followed careful consideration and efforts to streamline overlapping functions within the division.

Loh said SPH Media has pushed forward with digital transformation in recent years to address past underinvestment and meet shifting media demands since it was restructured and delisted in 2021.

The company noted that technology expenses have been significant, accounting for almost 20 per cent of its annual budget, with payroll taking up the largest share.

Loh highlighted that media companies worldwide face revenue challenges and increasing costs as digital consumption evolves, and SPH Media is not exempt from these pressures.

She also added that job redundancies were considered only as a last resort, as adjustments to manpower could not be avoided.

Last year, internal audit showed that SPH Media’s daily circulation numbers of its titles have been found to be inflated by between 85,000 and 95,000, including instances where copies were printed, counted for circulation and then destroyed.

There was also "double-counting” of subscriptions across multiple instances, and a project account was "injected with additional funding over a period of time to purchase fictitious circulation”.