Rolls-Royce to axe up to 2,000 jobs

Rolls-Royce is to axe up to 2,000 jobs worldwide including 140 in the UK, the company announced today.

Rolls-Royce plans to cut up to 2,000 jobs worldwide, including 140 in the UK, after reviewing the impact of the current economic “uncertainties”, the aerospace giant announced today.

The firm said it had started consulting unions about the proposed job losses at its assembly and test facility in Derby, part of the group’s civil aerospace business.

Rolls-Royce, which employs 39,000 workers globally, 60% of whom are based in the UK, said the announcement was the first stage in a more general programme aimed at matching the group’s capacity more closely with the expected load in its facilities.

“Rolls-Royce has been reviewing the possible impact of current economic uncertainties, delays on individual programmes, such as the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787, and the benefits of the group’s continuing focus on efficiency,” the company said.

The company said that around 1,500 to 2,000 jobs will be cut in 2009.