Ericsson slashes 5,000 jobs, blames Sony partnership
With profits tumbling 31%, Ericsson just announced its intent to shed 5,000 jobs across the globe (1,000 in Stockholm). The loss resulting from a "dramatic drop" in contributions from its Sony Ericsson joint venture. The 5k figure represents about 6% of Ericsson's 79,000 employees.























That sucks...thats really all I can say. Hope these people can find jobs elsewhere.
Long time no hump.
x_x
Yes. And hopefully the companies they work for are not teamed up with other companies that are trying to sell cell phones for $799.99.
I am schooled in lovin' and not business, but percentage-wise that doesn't seem like a bad hit for such a bad time. As far as these layoff postings go, I am not sure how to take them. I feel sympathetic, but I am also kinda numb to it all now. The pictures are compelling though.
If those people are swedes, as a hi-tech company you tend to have to recruit from... well. everywhere. So I would imagine a few airline tickets to be sold in the next coming months.
But its bad.. For everyone, 1000 tech jobs in Stockholm going out on the market, will create a "snowball" effect where people apply for less qualified jobs to survice. I'm a consultant myself, self employed, dam!
Then the streets of Stockholm will be a little more warmer this winter.
They already fired 500 in Sweden including a friend of mine that is a test engineer leader, so nobody is safe there if he with a high rank got fired.
Good news is, its only 500 more and I am so glad I didn't start there when they offered me a position 7 months ago = )
Question: the use of old photographs in these articles is very nice but why is there no credit for the person who took them, or where they were sourced from?
Because the photographers were sacked too.
Because it's outside the Engadget staff.
Technically photographs enter public domain once the photographer dies, sad I think.
I just tend to think that credit where it is due is important. There's no real need to credit the usual marketing pictures and dodgey photoshops that normally accompany an Engadget article, but if you are going to reprint a proper picture then I think we should know who took/made it. It's a good image and I might like to look at other work by the artist.
Because the photographers can't even afford to use colour film.
Some additional data you might like to know:
Sales are up 23% for Q4, 11% for the full 2008 year
Excluding restructuring costs, profits for Q4 are up 21%
Not exactly a gloomy picture! As a result, the stock is right now almost 14% up in Stockholm
I haven't seen a decent cellphone from SonyEricsson in years and those that I owned either broke after just 18 months or where terribly designed. I bet they have some hi-priced models that are pretty decent but for all the rest of us getting the hardware from our carrier they just stink. Too bad now employees have to suffer from terrible design choices too.
The W810i was an amazing phone in its day (i.e. 3 years ago). Not sure about anything in the current lineup as I haven't been following it except for the X1, which I'll sit out with a BB until at least the X2
i've a SE C905 and i'm loving it! previously i had a k800i which was my first se phone (before i had a long string of nokias)
Sure, blame Sony... I seem to remember that before they took over, ericsson phones all looked the same and broke after a 3 foot drop.
The news article doesn't actually blame Sony- it blames its Sony Ericsson handset division. Only Engadget's biased title implies that it's Sony's fault once again.
I think engadget are just wishing for them to break up so Sony can make a Sony branded PSP Phone...
I'm just wondering when this recession dies down will all these companies have "Help Wanted" signs everywhere to bring the count back to 5000 more into the company. Or will this recession leave a dent in the economy lasting for decades?
Will all these companies have "Help Wanted" signs.... :
yes, but I don't think it will be newsworthy enough to be reported in the media, at least, I can't recall seeing Ericson or others being applauded for recruiting more people while they grew to the size they are reducing from today. Perhaps that's me not being observant though.
Will this recession leave a dent in the economy lasting for decades?....:
Or maybe there's no dent, maybe we are noticing the end of a lump of overly fast activity and it's just correcting to a more realistic level. For example, say I jog at 10 miles an hour or I sprint at 20 miles an hour. Yet for every half hour I sprint I have to rest for a half hour to recover. For the first half hour I look better as a sprinter, for the second half hour I wish I could continue from there jogging, but I have to recover. At the end of an hour, I've travelled 10 miles jogging or sprinting.
That is just horrible, it seems like this is never ending anymore. It is a shame that so many people are having to lose their jobs now.
These Great Depression era photos are just a riot. Keep 'em coming! It sure makes me comfortable about keeping my job and I'm sure they make everyone here want to go out and buy some gadgets!
Three cheers for the Great Depression! Let's hear it!
Now go out and buy some gadgets and keep these people employed! Oh wait, then Engadget couldn't post these "funny" photos.
Id like to blame stuff on sony too, but I bet its because they make crappy phones
Poor Ericsson. I bought their phones before they started working with Sony. While I like Sony phones, the fact that they use Memory Stick and a non-standard headphone jack kept me from buying. I got burned with Minidisc, never again Sony!
People tend to forget that Ericsson would have bankrupt already if they hadn't merged with Sony in 2001. They were really going down at that point.