Tech lay-offs: Dell to cut workforce

Dell is to lay off about 6,650 workers because of the decline in demand for personal computers.

The job cuts are expected to affect about 5% of its global workforce.

The company faced tough market conditions with an uncertain future and its previous cost-cutting measures were no longer enough, co-chief operating officer Jeff Clarke wrote in a memo.

Dell, based in Round Rock, Texas, announced similar lay-offs in 2020, after the pandemic hit.

The latest department reorganisations and job cuts were an opportunity to drive efficiency, a company representative said.

"We continuously evaluate operations to ensure the right structure is in place to provide the best value and support to partners and customers.

"This is part of our regular course of business," a Dell spokesperson told the BBC.

• What is behind the big tech companies' job cuts?

• Are tech job cuts a warning for the wider economy?

Lay-offs in the US hit a more than two-year high in January, as the technology industry, once a reliable source of employment, cut jobs at the second-highest pace on record - to brace for a possible recession, a report showed on Thursday.

Companies including Google, Amazon and Meta are now grappling with how to balance cost-cutting measures with the need to remain competitive, as consumer and corporate spending shrinks amid high inflation and rising interest rates, after the pandemic.

Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said recent job cuts had been "the most difficult changes we've made in Meta's history", while Twitter cut about half its staff after multi-billionaire Elon Musk took control, in October.