The Globe and Mail has learned that Research In Motion is about to embark on another round of restructuring. The move will include at least 2,000 jobs eliminated with one source indicating that it could be even more. RIM today has about 16,500 employees worldwide.
The reports adds that this round of layoffs is planned for around June 1st, a day before RIM’s first quarter ends. It follows a similar one last year that also saw about 2,000 job reductions. RIM has also been cutting jobs quietly and only a few at a time since then. “They’ve been axing people on the sly for months,” one former RIM executive told The Globe and Mail. “Lots of guys are being packaged out right now.”
RIM would not comment on the report. It has said in the past that it will make changes to bring about about US$1 billion in savings before the end of its 2013 fiscal year.
As it prepares to launch its first BlackBerry 10 devices, RIM has been losing market share to Apple and Android manufacturers. Its global smartphone shipment share stands only at 7%, according to the latest numbers from research firm IDC.
RIM employed 20,000 people at its peak.
Read more: The Globe And Mail