Per 9to5:

According to people familiar with the matter, Apple made the decision to freeze hiring last month ahead of the company’s quarterly earnings report. Sources told Bloomberg that the pause doesn’t apply to teams working on future products and long-term initiatives.

The sectors most affected are hardware and software engineering, as well as some corporate functions. The company said in a statement that it will continue hiring, but at a slowing pace.

Given the current economic environment we’re taking a very deliberate approach in some parts of the business. The company added that it’s confident in Apple’s future. We want to be thoughtful and make smart decisions that enable us to continue fueling innovation for the long term.

Some of Apple’s teams can still hire under specific circumstances. For example, some job openings continue to be advertised on the company’s website. “The move is part of a broader effort to rein in budgets, not backfill roles and decelerate headcount growth for some teams next year,” says the report.

See $AAPL flow: unusualwhales.com/flow