IBM set to cut UK and Ireland jobs

IBM is planning a number of redundancies in the UK and Ireland, in addition to 1,200 global job cuts that were announced earlier in the year.

Company documents detailing the decision, seen by The Register, confirm that an employee consultation, with focus on IBM’s UK-based strategic outsourcing delivery division, will begin on the 2 August for 30 days.

Computerworld UK contacted IBM to confirm the details of the restructure and was told that employee changes were a continual consideration for the technology giant.

An IBM spokesman said: "Change is constant in our industry and transformation is a permanent feature of our business model. 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."

Workers have been told of the planned changes and it is thought that workers in IBM’s Software Group in the UK and Ireland may also be facing cuts.

First quarter results for Big Blue were strong, where it continues to excel at selling software and systems. However, the first three months were sluggish for its hardware sales.

IBM reported revenue of $24.7 billion (£15.9 billion), 0.3 percent above the $24.6 billion (£15.8 billion) reported for last year's first quarter. Net income was $3.1 billion (£2 billion), up seven percent from the $2.9 billion (£1.9 billion) a year earlier.