Hewlett-Packard mulls cutting up to 30,000 jobs

SAN FRANCISCO: Published reports say Hewlett-Packard is poised to eliminate up to 30,000 jobs to help offset dwindling demand for personal computers as more people connect to the Internet on smartphones and tablets.

Bloomberg News says HP is mulling 25,000 job cuts. All Things D, a technology blog, estimates the purge will jettison 30,000 jobs. Both reports cited unnamed people familiar with HP's plans.

Hewlett-Packard Co. declined to comment Thursday.

The job cuts, which could include retirements, are under discussion but have not yet been finalized, several people familiar with the situation told Reuters. Th e sources did not elaborate on a time frame or other details.

The Palo Alto, California, company ended its last fiscal year with nearly 350,000 employees. Based on that, HP is considering a 7 to 9 percent decrease in its workforce.

Analysts estimate a payroll reduction of that size would save HP more than $1 billion annually. The job cuts could be announced next Wednesday, when HP is scheduled to report its quarterly earnings.

Analysts have been expecting job cuts in the wake of Whitman's plan to merge the company's personal computer and printer divisions.

Shares of HP, the leading PC maker, were up 5 cents at $22.08 in afternoon trade.