Typically when a firm looks to cut 10,000 jobs, we consider that it may be in serious trouble, however, with the recent break from Ericsson, Samsung and now, potentially, Sharp; along with a stream of announcements from new Sony CEO, Kazuo Hirai, in regards to restructuring and new strategies, the announcement of job losses at Sony feels quite expected.
10,000 jobs equates to around six per cent of Sony's global workforce and the cut could happen before we reach next year, with, as one would expect, around 5,000 of the job losses brought about by restructuring of Sony's LCD business as joint ventures between firms such as Samsung come to an end.
Though job losses had been expected as a result of restructuring, this doesn't mean Sony's having the best of times financially, with the firm announcing a loss of £2bn throughout 2011. It's suggested that Hirai will, in response, ask Sony executives, including chairman and previous CEO, Howard Stringer, to forfeit their bonuses for last year.
Unlikely to win any popularity contests with the loss of staff and bonuses, Hirai will really have to impress with his strategy for the future, which he is to announce this Thursday at a special company event.
