Posts Tagged ‘mass layoffs’

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

Layoffs: Johnson & Johnson to Cut 7% of Jobs

Health care giant Johnson & Johnson announced Tuesday that it would eliminate up to 8,000 jobs worldwide, or 7% of its workforce, as a cost-savings measure, according to CNN.

Many of the cuts will come from management levels as the company revises its corporate structure. As a result, Johnson & Johnson expects to save between $800 million and $900 million this year.

Johnson & Johnson manufacturers household health and beauty products, like soaps and mouthwash, along with pharmaceuticals and medical devices. The recession has impacted both sides of J&J's business.

The majority of the job cuts will occur outside of the U.S., according to CEO Bill Weldon, and will occur across all aspects of the business.

Johnson & Johnson's restructuring has been occurring over the past few years, as it attempts to fight off competing drug manufacturers and generic versions of its own drugs. In July, 2008, J&J cut 4% of its workforce. In April, 2009, about 900 U.S. sales jobs were eliminated.

U.S. employers initiated 1,330 mass layoff events in the third quarter of this year.

This is the highest level for the third quarter since 2001, according to preliminary figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The mass layoffs accounted for more than 218,158 people being separated from their jobs for at least 31 days.

With more job layoffs, there will likely be more people filing bankruptcy.

--Read about the stories behind the mass layoffs