RIM tipped to axe 2,000 more jobs

 

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By Stewart Mitchell

Posted on 28 May 2012 at 08:49

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion is expected to cut 2,000 jobs as part of its plans to save $1bn a year.

RIM has been under pressure for months as its handsets have struggled to compete against iPhone and Android models, while its shares have tumbled as investors lose confidence.

According to a report in the Toronto Globe and Mail, the company has already begun cutting management positions, and will extend the number of cuts to 2,000 and possibly more of the company's 16,500 workers worldwide.

They’ve been axing people on the sly for months. Lots of guys are being packaged out right now

“They’ve been axing people on the sly for months,” one former RIM executive said. “Lots of guys are being packaged out right now.”

The latest cuts would follow 2,000 made last year, and are expected to be announced later this week, as part of an ongoing review of the company.

RIM has so far declined to comment on the “speculation”, but new CEO Thorsten Heins has said that the company was aiming to be more efficient since he stepped up to the role.

“It kind of allowed me to get a clearer view of what fits, and what doesn’t fit,” Heins said in a recent statement. “Think of it like a jigsaw puzzle. I kind of figured out a few pieces that I don’t need in my puzzle to be successful.”