Apple, the only Big Tech company that has avoided mass layoffs thus far, has reportedly started laying off third-party contractors.

According to New York Post, the iPhone maker has started to cut ties with hundreds of contractors quietly.

"Instead of waiting for contracts that are typically renewed every 12 to 15 months to expire, Apple is firing contractors outright, One contractor claimed to have been blindsided, saying Apple management had assured him that all jobs were safe. Only a few weeks earlier, some had been gloating that Apple hadn’t overhired like other tech companies, the source added,” the report read.

Apple did not comment on the report.

The report also said that firing contractors is a move to cut costs.

The company hasn't disclosed the size of its contractor workforce, but reports suggest it numbers in the thousands.

Also Read: Google layoffs begin in India over 450 employees impacted

Apple CEO Tim Cook had called layoffs at the company a "last resort kind of thing", adding that "You can never say never".

Cook had told the Wall Street Journal that Apple is managing costs very tightly.

"We want to manage costs in other ways to the degree that we can," he was quoted as saying.

Apple faced supply chain disruptions in October and November as China faced a Covid surge and protests erupted at its key supplier Foxconn's main factory in the country.

Cook said that Covid-related challenges "significantly impacted the supply of iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max and lasted through most of December".

Also Read: 'It doesn't make sense': Zoom employees feel betrayed as layoff comes despite revenue growth

As a result of a challenging environment, "our revenue was down 5 per cent year over year", he added.

According to Wedbush tech analyst Dan Ives, Apple didn't overhire during the pandemic.

Apple's employee count went up by about seven percent in 2022 compared to 2021.

Cook has already taken a huge pay cut of $35 million, or more than 40 percent of his compensation.

(With IANS Inputs)

Also Read: Infosys sacks nearly 600 fresher employees for failing internal test: Report