Ericsson to cut up to 4,000 jobs; one-fifth of Swedish workforce in firing line

The wireless-networking equipment maker may shut down the Boraas factory entirely, costing 800 jobs,

Ericsson to cut up to 4,000 jobs; one-fifth of Swedish workforce in firing line
A general view shows an office of Swedish telecom giant Ericsson in Lund, Sweden, September 18, 2014 Reuters

Swedish telecoms equipment maker Ericsson will cut as many as 4,000 jobs as part of structural changes it initiated in April this year.

The job cuts, which are likely to be officially announced on Tuesday, will affect one-fifth of its Swedish workforce, public television SVT reported, citing sources.

"The government has been informed of Ericsson's plans which consist of putting in place its largest cost-saving plan in its recent history," the report said.

Ericsson has 116,000 employees globally, including 15,000 in Sweden.

There were reports last month that Ericsson was planning to end manufacturing in the country. Ericsson has been up against tough competition from rivals like Nokia, Siemens and Alcatel- Lucent, and a sustained slide in market share in Europe and North America had led to the sacking of chief executive Hans Vestberg in July.

The wireless-networking equipment maker may shut down the Boraas factory entirely, costing 800 jobs, Bloomberg reported.

Ericsson said in 2014 it was rolling out a 9 billion Swedish crown ($1.1 billion) cost-cutting programme.

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