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Biggest IT layoffs of 2008
A look at this year's job cutbacks at HP, Dell, Sun and other top technology companies
Nancy Weil and Network World staff (Network World) 18/09/2008 11:56:00
HP-EDS layoffs: Saw this coming HP was expected to announce layoffs as it integrates Electronic Data Systems into its corporate fold, but the size of announced job cuts on September 15 (24,600 employees over the next three years) was a shocker. The layoffs will amount to about 7.5 percent of HP employees during those three years, with almost half of the cuts from the US workforce. Although the job cuts are among the biggest in recent memory in IT, by comparison IBM shed 150,000 jobs over five years in the early 1990s. Nokia goes first Early in January, rumors began to spread that Sprint Nextel was going to announce a major round of cutbacks, but meanwhile on January 15 mobile-phone maker Nokia said it was laying off 2,300 workers at a plant in Bochum, Germany, and moving production to European sites that would cost less to operate. Sprint Nextel has its turn Three days later, Sprint Nextel confirmed layoffs, saying it would cut 4,000 workers from its payroll and close about 125 stores after it lost more than 100,000 customers in the 2007 fourth quarter. Boohoo for Yahoo Less than a week later, rumors surfaced that Yahoo was about to announce layoffs, which it confirmed at the end of the month with word that its fourth quarter sales were up, but profits were down. Yahoo said it would cut about 1,000 jobs in February. Siemens slims down Siemens in late February said it would axe 3,800 jobs at its Siemens Enterprise Communications subsidiary, with 2,000 of those in Germany, as part of an ongoing plan to transform that division from a telecommunication equipment unit into a telecommunications software provider. Nortel's nasty Q4 The 2007 fourth quarter also proved rugged for Nortel, which announced a day after the Siemens news that it would cut 2,100 jobs and move 1,000 positions to "higher growth and lower-cost geographies." Dell dumps nearly 9,000 people In April, Dell reaffirmed plans announced last year to reduce headcount by 8,800, but said that the layoffs may be higher than what it had announced in 2007. The company had eliminated 3,200 jobs by the end of its 2008 fiscal year in February of this year. A month later, Dell gave a revised layoff number of 8,900. AMD chips away at its work force Financially struggling Advanced Micro Devices was next in line, with news in May that it would lay off 10 percent of its global workforce of 16,800. AT&T lets loose managers AT&T sent about 4,650 employees, mostly in management, packing as part of its "next step" to streamline operations following the merger of parent company SBC, the old AT&T and BellSouth. Sun continues to restructure As part of a previously announced restructuring plan, Sun laid off about 1,000 employees in the US and Canada in July as part of a total reduction of 1,500 to 2,500 employees globally. Share your story Been laid off this year? Felt the impact of job cutbacks at your key vendors? We want to hear from YOU!
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HP-EDS layoffs: Saw this coming HP was expected to announce layoffs as it integrates Electronic Data Systems into its corporate fold, but the size of announced job cuts on September 15 (24,600 employees over the next three years) was a shocker. The layoffs will amount to about 7.5 percent of HP employees during those three years, with almost half of the cuts from the US workforce. Although the job cuts are among the biggest in recent memory in IT, by comparison IBM shed 150,000 jobs over five years in the early 1990s.
HP-EDS layoffs: Saw this coming HP was expected to announce layoffs as it integrates Electronic Data Systems into its corporate fold, but the size of announced job cuts on September 15 (24,600 employees over the next three years) was a shocker. The layoffs will amount to about 7.5 percent of HP employees during those three years, with almost half of the cuts from the US workforce. Although the job cuts are among the biggest in recent memory in IT, by comparison IBM shed 150,000 jobs over five years in the early 1990s.
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