IBM (NYSE: IBM) is preparing to slash its work force in Germany by 40 percent, according to a German newspaper.
Big Blue workers are in for “a massive upheaval in Germany,” the paper Handelsblatt reported. “In the long run this country up to 8,000 jobs could be deleted.”
IBM currently employs some 20,000 people across Germany.
“This is confirmed by members of the highest governing bodies of the IBM,” the newspaper said. “Some leading members expect a real clear-cutting.”
“In the end it may be that only 12,000 of the 20,000 jobs currently remain in the country’s society,” said a member of IBM’s leadership crew, according to a Google translation of the German text.
If the report is true, the news would be part of a trend at IBM of shifting jobs away from the United States and Western Europe to other markets such as India and China.
Asked about the report, IBM told the newspaper: “Given the competitive nature of our business, we discuss the details of our planning work is not public.”
Bloomberg news and Dow Jones both reported the story.
Read the full story here.
IBM currently employs an estimated 10,000 people across North Carolina. The company no longer provides information about the number of jobs in the United States.
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