Baidu, the world's biggest Chinese search engine service provider, closed its Enterprise Search Software Department on Monday, dismissing approximately 20 employees, China Business News reported today.

This is the first time Baidu has cut a department since its IPO was placed on Nasdaq a year ago.

Employees in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen were told on Monday afternoon that they were fired. "We had no idea that our jobs were even in question, and no one explained anything to us," said some of the fired workers still in astonishment.

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