VMware Australia Layoffs Bring Total Over 2,900

VMware Australia is cutting approximately 14% of its work force following Broadcom's $69 billion acquisition.

VMmware Australia "retrenched" 82 jobs on Dec. 1, according to a spokesperson for the Australian Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

Retrenchment comes after a position is made redundant. Redundant employees may be redeployed to a new position or retrenched into unemployment. Australia requires businesses to inform Services Australia when they subject more than 15 positions to redundancies.

According to VMware's 2023 Modern Day Slavery Statement, the company was employing 599 people in Australia.

Broadcom's behemoth deal with VMware finally passed regulatory approval in November and closed Nov. 22.

Channel Futures reported late last week that the total number of disclosed U.S. layoffs totaled 2,837. The Australian count – the first documented layoffs outside the U.S. – take the total up to 2,919 people.

VMware Australia Impact

VMware first entered Australia in 2004, leveraging a partnership with distributor Ingram Micro. VMware Australia officially launched in 2006, according to Bloomberg. Its office presence started in Victoria and gradually expanded to include Melbourne and Sydney. By the time the company launched its Sydney headquarters in 2012, VMware was reportedly working with 300 employees and 8,000 customers in Australia.

Related:Broadcom Layoffs Officially Above 2,800 Post-VMware Deal

Multiple sources on TheLayoff.com indicated that transitional and redundancy letters went out to them on Friday, Dec. 1. As of Tuesday afternoon, some employees were awaiting full-time employment offers.

Kelly Teal reported on Tuesday about how VMware partners are responding to the Broadcom-VMware merger. Her story, based on a survey by Channel Futures sister company Canalys shows a decidedly mixed result, although positive responses outweighed the negative.