Nokia to shed 7,000 staff as part of reorganisation
Mobile phone maker Nokia has announced it will shed 7,000 jobs as part of a plan to refocus the company on smartphones.
Nokia said the majority of the job losses would be in Denmark and Finland, with a total of 700 jobs going in the UK.
The plan will take effect from 2012.
Nokia said that it would transfer a further 3,000 employees to consultancy Accenture, which will take over Nokia's Symbian software product.
Nokia is hoping to increase its capacity for smartphone development.
The firm recently confirmed a deal with Microsoft to jointly develop smartphone technology.
Under the terms of that deal, Nokia agreed to start using the Microsoft's operating system on its smartphones instead of its own Symbian platform.
"With this new focus, we also will face reductions in our workforce," said Stephen Elop, Nokia president.
"This is a difficult reality, and we are working closely with our employees and partners to identify long-term re-employment programmes for the talented people of Nokia."
Nokia's response to the smartphone threat from competitors such as Apple's iPhone and phones using Google's Android system has been long been a key investor concern.
BBC News
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