TORONTO -- Uber Technologies Inc. will double the size of its Toronto technical team by the end of the year.

The San Francisco, Calif.-based ride-hailing and food delivery company says it will hire about 60 people in engineering, design, data science and product management roles.

The expansion will also create two new teams in Canada to focus on the core rider experience and memberships.

The first team will manage, upgrade and build products and infrastructure that power the Uber app and makes service more reliable for riders.

The second team will focus on memberships and build new ways for Uber to offer partnerships, exclusive offers and integrations.

The hiring comes after Uber laid off more than 3,000 people or 14 per cent of its global staff as demand for its ride-hailing service plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Canada is a hot spot for tech talent globally, and our Toronto team has led the strategy and development of many important products and platforms like Uber Commute and Uber Eats Ads," said Neil Barakat, Uber's Toronto tech site lead, in a statement.

"These projects have helped to evolve how Uber operates in communities around the world. We're excited about the opportunity to expand and build new local teams and grow our imprint in the Canadian tech ecosystem."