Aussie Adobe staff face uncertain future

Vendor to cut workforce again with Australia to be impacted

Kathryn Edwards (Computerworld)
11 November, 2009 15:50
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The future of Australian Adobe staff is uncertain after the company announced it will layoff 680 employees across its global workforce.

A spokesperson for Adobe’s Australian arm told Computerworld there will be a “minor” impact on the local workforce, but said it would not disclose exact figures.

“We’re not divulging any of the details outside of the main number that’s in the [US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)] filing, but there will be a minor impact on Asia-Pacific,” an Adobe spokesperson said.

The SEC filing said: “On November 10, 2009, we announced a workforce reduction to appropriately align our costs in connection with our 2010 operating plan (the “Restructuring Plan”). As a result, we expect to eliminate approximately 680 full-time positions worldwide.”

The cuts make up approximately nine per cent of its workforce, and are said to bring Adobe's costs in line with its 2010 budget.

The vendor announced a previous round of layoffs last December, when it said it would cut 600 jobs worldwide to reduce costs.

In September Adobe posted third-quarter profits of $US136 million, down from $191.6 million in the third quarter of 2008. Revenue also fell, to $697.5 million from $887.3 million a year earlier.

This latest restructuring will result in pretax charges of $65 million to $71 million, including about $50 million for severance payments and $18 million to consolidate leased facilities, the company said.

Additional reporting by James Niccolai

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