It is unclear if Ireland will be further affected by computer company HP cutting thousands of jobs in a worldwide cost-reduction programme.

Two years ago HP announced the closure of the bulk of its Irish operations, with 500 jobs cut when it shut its printing manufacturing facility in Leixlip.

Hewlett-Packard raised total compensation for chairman and chief executive Meg Whitman by 11% ahead of the company’s expected split into two publicly traded entities by the end of this year.

Hewlett-Packard is splitting into two companies, using a breakup to become nimbler after failing to keep up with the shift away from the printing and personal computing businesses it pioneered.