/ 1 September 2006

Intel could slash up to 20 000 jobs worldwide

Intel, the world’s leading computer chip maker which employs 99 000 people worldwide, could soon slash up to 20 000 jobs, a report said on Friday.

The layoffs could come as early as next week, when Intel has scheduled an internal announcement, The Wall Street Journal said quoting analysts and former employees of the company.

An Intel spokesperson consulted by the paper refused to comment on the report which he called ”speculation”.

The company’s website says it employs 99 000 people in 199 offices around the world. Its 2005 revenues were listed at $38,8-billion (€30,3-billion).

In July Intel announced a management shake-up on the heels of a lacklustre earnings report and the laying off of 1 000 managers at its facilities worldwide.

It reported a 57% dive in its second quarterly earnings this year, on weaker demand for its computer chips, representing a 13% drop in revenue from the same quarter last year. – Sapa-AFP