TikTok to create over 500 UK jobs as major plans revealed
TikTok is to create more than 500 UK jobs and open a second office in London, it has been revealed.
The Chinese-owned social media firm has confirmed its UK workforce will expand to 3,000 by the end of 2025 and it will open a new 135,000 sq ft office in London’s Barbican.
The group already has its UK headquarters in Farringdon, which were opened in 2022, while its new base is slated to open its doors early in 2026.
TikTok has also revealed that the number of people in the UK using its app has passed the 30m milestone for the first time.
The news means the UK is now the platform’s largest user community in Europe.
Adam Presser, director of TikTok UK and global head of operations and trust and safety, said: “Whether through direct investment in jobs and innovation, or the wider economic contribution from millions of British businesses on TikTok, we’re pleased to be increasing our investment and presence here in the UK, an important hub for TikTok.”
TikTok first launched its UK operations in 2018 and is financially incorporated in Britain.
According to its most recently filed set of accounts, TikTok achieved a turnover of $4.5bn (£3.3bn) in the UK for 2023, up from $2.6bn.
However, its pre-tax loss over the same period widened from $513.9m to $1.4bn.
TikTok is expected to reveal its financial performance for 2024 by the end September this year.
TikTok makes safety vow after government pressure
TikTok’s announcement comes Cabinet minister Pete Kyle signalled he was looking at measures to restrict the amount of time children spend on their phones, including through a possible 10pm curfew.
Kyle was asked on Sunday morning whether he would look at limiting the time children spend on social media to two hours per app after the Sunday People and Mirror reported the measure was being considered by ministers.
The Online Safety Act has passed into law, and from this year will require tech platforms to follow new Ofcom-issued codes of practice to keep users safe online, particularly children.
Hefty fines and site blockages are among the penalties for those caught breaking the rules, but many critics have argued the approach gives tech firms too much scope to regulate themselves.
TikTok’s Presser said that, as well as its UK expansion plans, the group also invests “significantly” in safety.
He said: “What underpins our continued growth is our deep commitment to safety and to creating an enjoyable and secure digital space to sustainably support creators, entrepreneurs and the wider economy, which is why we also invest significantly in safety.”
TikTok was fined €530m (£446m) by the Irish data protection watchdog last month for breaching EU privacy rules around transferring user data to China.
The video-sharing app was also sanctioned for not being transparent with users about where personal data was being sent and ordered the platform to comply with data protection rules within six months.
TikTok said it would appeal against the decision.
The social media giant, which is owned by China-based ByteDance, has been under scrutiny from regulators around the world over how it handles personal data, and is also facing a ban in the United States over its China links, which the US government has said is a national security issue.