IBM Jobs To Go In UK And Ireland

IBM jobs are on the line as aAn employee consultation process kicks off that could see redundancies across the UK and Ireland, a spokesperson confirmed to TechWeekEurope today.

Big Blue could not confirm how many jobs were to go, or give any detail on which departments or areas would be affected. The consultation period over the job cuts will last 30 days, kicking off on 2 August

However, a report in The Register claimed employees from the UK-based strategic outsourcing delivery division had been told about the changes. Less than 100 workers are set to be laid off, meaning this round of layoffs should be comparatively small.

“Change is constant in our industry and transformation is a permanent feature of our business model,” IBM said in an emailed statement. “Consequently, some level of workforce remix is an ongoing part of our business. Given the competitive nature of our business, we do not publicly discuss the details of our staffing plans.”

Cuts but no crisis

The has been faring well, at least in its financial results. Last week, it reported a rise in profits, as it brought in $3.88 billion in the three months up to the end of June, up six percent on the $3.67 billion in the same quarter a year before. That was despite taking a $1 billion hit because of currency shifts and a three percent decline in revenue.

Back in February, reports claimed IBM was axing 1,200, mostly in the US and Canada. Then in April, an IBM employees union protested those cuts.

IBM is cutting back in other ways, claiming earlier this month it had saved $43m in 2011 thanks to its energy-saving programme, and was on track double this by the end of 2012.

Are you an expert on Green Tech? Take our quiz!