(May 25): Alibaba Group Holding Ltd said it plans to hire 15,000 people this year, pushing back on reports that the Chinese tech firm is laying off employees.

In a statement released on Weibo on Thursday, the Chinese e-commerce platform said its “six major business divisions will need to hire 15,000 new recruits in total.” The company said it would recruit 3,000 university graduates. It characterized reports of layoffs as “rumours” and said employee departures are part of the “normal flow.”

Alibaba pointed to its recruiting system as evidence that the company is still hiring. “We have never stopped recruiting and cultivating outstanding talents,” the company said in its statement.