Life science giant PPD is making layoffs, but the privately held company is disclosing few details.

At the same time the company says it has “hundreds of job openings.”

The Wilmington-based firm, which maintains a large presence in the Research Triangle, confirmed the job cuts after inquiries were made by WRAL TechWire.

WRAL.com was told over the weekend that job cuts were made that affected as much as half the firm’s human resources department.

Layoffs took place in Wilmington and the Triangle, according to the report.

A PPD spokesperson confirmed Monday afternoon that layoffs had been made but did not answer several questions posed by WRAL TechWire.

Adjust and deploy” workforce

“During the past five years, we have grown our employment from approximately 11,000 to 20,000 professionals. We expect to continue growing our global workforce via professional opportunities spanning the clinical development and laboratory segments of our business, as evidenced by the fact that we have hundreds of job openings currently posted,” a PPD spokesperson said.

“We are positioning PPD for continued growth, as clinical research is instrumental to medical innovation. As all companies must do, we routinely adjust and deploy our global workforce to best meet our clients’ needs and respond to marketplace conditions.”

PPD operates 89 offices across 47 countries, according to its website.

Earlier this year, PPD raised $500 million in new capital, raising the company’s value to an estimated $9 billion.

Rumors circulated late last year that the company might be sold.