LG Electronics Inc. has increased the number of employees serving in its smartphone division, a regulatory filing showed Monday, while that of its bigger rival Samsung Electronics cut back the number of workers for the fourth consecutive quarter.
According to the regulatory filing, there were 6,790 workers at LG Electronics' Mobile Communications division as of the fourth quarter of 2016, up 18.8 percent from the earlier three-month period. The number had been falling after reaching its peak of 8,049 in the first quarter of 2015.
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LG Electronics Inc.'s headquarters in Seoul (Yonhap) |
South Korea's No. 2 tech giant earlier reduced the number of staff members at the mobile business as the G4 and G5 smartphones failed to meet the market's expectations.
LG Electronics has been focusing efforts to promote its new flagship G6 smartphone this year. Industry watchers expect LG's mobile business to turn to profit on the back of the new premium model.
In contrast, the size of the staff at Samsung's IT and Mobile division fell 0.6 percent over the cited period to 26,398. Employee numbers have been decreasing since hitting 27,490 in the fourth quarter of 2015.
Industry watchers said Samsung apparently has been seeking to bring more efficiency to its structure, especially amid the escalating competition with US archrival Apple Inc., as well as other Chinese smartphone makers. (Yonhap)
