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eBay is cutting 1,000 roles, about 9% of its full-time employees, the company’s CEO announced online Tuesday.

The company also plans to scale back its contracts with its “alternate workforce” in the coming months.

CEO Jamie Iannone cited the “challenging macroeconomic environment” as an external pressure but added that there are factors the company can control.

“While we are making progress against our strategy, our overall headcount and expenses have outpaced the growth of our business. To address this, we’re implementing organizational changes that align and consolidate certain teams to improve the end-to-end experience, and better meet the needs of our customers around the world,” the note said.

Iannone requested US employees work from home on January 24th “to provide space and privacy for these conversations.” He said employees would be notified if they were laid off by their leader over Zoom.

“We’re committed to treating everyone with respect and empathy through this transition and providing impacted employees with support and resources,” Iannone said.

The eBay action is the latest round of layoffs to hit the tech industry in the first month of 2024, after an already difficult 2023 for the sector. This month, Google CEO Sundar Pichai warned employees to expect additional layoffs in the months to come as the tech giant reorients itself toward artificial intelligence “and beyond.” Duolingo laid off around 10% of its contract workers as it moves to rely more heavily on artificial intelligence. Amazon also cut hundreds of jobs, including at streaming platform Twitch.

Almost 11,000 tech employees have been laid off at 63 companies so far in 2024, according to data from layoffs.fyi.

article from CNN:
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/23/business/ebay-layoffs/index.html

米ネット競売大手イーベイのイアンノーネ最高経営責任者（ＣＥＯ）は２３日、正社員の約９％に相当する１０００人の人員を削減すると発表した。

さらに、今後数カ月間で臨時社員との契約も縮小する。

イアンノーネ氏は厳しい外部要因としてマクロ経済環境を挙げたが、同社自体が制御できる要因もあると指摘。全体の従業員数やコストの増大が事業の成長を上回っているという問題に対処するため、組織改革を実施していると説明した。

同氏は米国内の従業員に対し、２４日はプライバシー尊重のために在宅で勤務するよう要請した。解雇対象になるかどうかは、オンライン会議システム「Ｚｏｏｍ（ズーム）」を通して上司から個別に通知されるという。

米ＩＴ業界では昨年に続き、今年に入ってからも人員削減の動きが相次いでいる。グーグルのピチャイＣＥＯは、ＡＩ（人工知能）分野へ重点を移す方針に基づき、今後数カ月間でさらなる人員削減を予定していると述べた。

語学アプリのデュオリンゴはＡＩの活用にともない、契約社員の約１０％を解雇。アマゾンもライブ配信サービス「ツイッチ」などで数百人を削減した。

年明けからこれまでに、ＩＴ業界の６３社で計１万１０００人近い従業員が解雇されている。

引用元：CNN
https://www.cnn.co.jp/tech/35214315.html

WASHINGTON, Jan 12 (Reuters) - U.S. producer prices unexpectedly fell in December amid declining costs for goods such as diesel fuel and food, suggesting inflation would continue to subside and allow the Federal Reserve to start cutting interest rates this year.

The report from the Labor Department on Friday, which also showed prices for services were unchanged for the third straight month, implied that a pick-up in consumer prices last month was likely a blip. It led economists to anticipate that the key price measures tracked by the U.S. central bank for its 2% inflation target rose moderately in December from the prior month.

"The inflation pipeline is clearing and consumer prices will gradually get to the Fed's 2% target," said Jeffrey Roach, chief economist at LPL Financial in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The producer price index for final demand dipped 0.1% last month, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics said. Data for November was revised to show the PPI falling 0.1% instead of being unchanged as previously reported. The PPI has now declined for three consecutive months.

Food prices slipped 0.9% last month, with the cost of eggs tumbling 20.5%, but reversing only a fraction of the 71.2% surge in November. An outbreak of avian flu at some commercial farms was behind the spike in prices in November. Wholesale passenger car prices fell 3.0%. But gasoline prices increased 2.1%.

In the 12 months through December, the PPI increased 1.0% after advancing 0.8% in November. Data on Thursday showed consumer prices increased more than expected in December, driven by solid gains in shelter and healthcare costs.

Article from (https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/us-producer-prices-unexpectedly-fall-december-2024-01-12/)


"[ワシントン １２日 ロイター] - 米労働省が１２日発表した２０２３年１２月の卸売物価指数（ＰＰＩ、最終需要向け財・サービス）は前月比０．１％下落と、市場予想（０．１％上昇）に反し下落した。財（モノ）の価格が下落する一方、サービスの価格は変わらずだった。

１１月分は前回発表の横ばいから０．１％下落に改定された。前月比での下落は３カ月連続。インフレが引き続き沈静化し、米連邦準備理事会（ＦＲＢ）が年内に利下げを開始できる可能性が示唆された。

ＬＰＬファイナンシャル（ノースカロライナ州シャーロット）のチーフ・エコノミスト、ジェフリー・ローチ氏は「パイプライン・インフレは解消しつつある」とし、インフレ率は「ＦＲＢが目標とする２％に徐々に近づいていく」との見方を示した。

１２月の前年同月比は１．０％上昇と１１月の０．８％上昇から伸びが加速した。

食品とエネルギー、貿易サービス部門を除いたコア指数は前月比０．２％上昇。１１月は０．１％上昇だった。前年同月比では２．５％上昇。１１月は２．４％上昇していた。

コメリカ・バンクのチーフエコノミスト、ビル・アダムズ氏は「インフレに対する主要な上振れリスクは、中東戦争のほか、貿易の流れおよび世界のエネルギー供給への潜在的な混乱からもたらされる」と指摘。「ただ、米国では石油と再生可能エネルギーの生産量が国内総生産（ＧＤＰ）を上回るペースで増加しており、これによりこれまで地政学リスクの影響が相殺され、エネルギー価格が良好に保たれている」とした。

サービスの価格は３カ月連続で横ばい。新型コロナウイルスによるパンデミック（世界的大流行）を受けた混乱が収束し、供給網がほぼ正常化したため、現在はサービス業がインフレ対策の中核になっている。サービス価格の上昇は、労働市場の逼迫もあり、利上げに反応しにくい。

サービス価格は、機械・自動車卸売業のマージン減少で抑制されたほか、宿泊、陸上貨物輸送、自動車・部品小売、衣料品卸売も下落した。一方、ポートフォリオ管理費が１．５％上昇したほか、航空運賃も２．１％上昇。健康・医療保険費も０．１％上昇した。


モノは０．４％下落。前月は０．３％下落していた。変動が大きい食品とエネルギーを除いたモノのコア指数は横ばい。１１月は０．１％上昇だった。
項目別では、ディーゼル燃料が１２．４％、食品が０．９％、乗用車が３．０％、それぞれ下落。一方、ガソリンは２．１％上昇した。

引用元（https://jp.reuters.com/markets/japan/funds/VJTLZHU6SZPJZH3ZFLM5SLTMB4-2024-01-12/）

The Secretary of State, following consultations with the Department of Homeland Security, has determined that the following categories of interview waivers are in the national interest. Changes based on that determination are implemented by consular officers, who now have the authority and discretion to waive the in-person interview for:

First time H-2 visa applicants (temporary agricultural and non-agricultural workers); and

Other nonimmigrant visa applicants applying for any nonimmigrant visa classification who:

Were previously issued a nonimmigrant visa in any classification, unless the only prior issued visa was a B visa; and
Are applying within 48 months of their most recent nonimmigrant visa’s expiration date.
In all cases, applicants must meet certain legal requirements to qualify for an interview waiver. Implementation of this authority begins January 1, 2024, and will be reviewed annually. This authority is in place until further notice.

As a reminder, applicants renewing a nonimmigrant visa in the same classification within 48 months of the prior visa’s expiration date continue to be eligible for interview waiver until further notice.

To be eligible for an interview waiver, applicants must also meet certain criteria, including that they:

apply in their country of nationality or residence.

have never been refused a visa (unless such refusal was overcome or waived).

have no apparent or potential ineligibility.
Consular officers may still require in-person interviews on a case-by-case basis or because of local conditions. We encourage applicants to check embassy and consulate websites for more detailed information about visa application requirements and procedures, and to learn more about the embassy’s operating status and services.

Article from:
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/important-update-on-waivers-of-the-interview-requirement-for-certaing-nonimmigrant-visa-applicants.html/