Alibaba said its six major business divisions will need to hire 15,000 recruits this year, refuting earlier layoff rumors.

Chinese local media reports suggested earlier this week that Alibaba plans to downsize its cloud division's workforce by 7 percent, as it prepared for a spinoff and eventual initial public offering.

The company said in a statement on Thursday that employee departures are part of the "normal flow" and it would hire 3,000 university graduates this year.

It didn't say how much each unit would be hiring or the exact job levels.

Following the announcement in March that Alibaba would divide its business operations into six groups, there have been rumors that each unit would lay off a considerable amount of staff.

As of March, Alibaba employed more than 235,000 people, and the company said it has never stopped recruiting and cultivating outstanding talents.

As with every other business entity, it always welcomes new staff and farewells those who leave the organization, it added.

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