Rumour had it that Research In Motion was going to let go of 3,000 employees today – clearly that didn’t happen. The unfortunate news is that the layoffs are inevitable. The 3,000 is part of the 5,000 employees that RIM announced a couple months ago, which will assist them in saving $1 billion.
There’s a new and very timely report in the CBC today, noting that the Ontario government, Communitech (not-for-profit organization that helps tech companies in Waterloo region), University of Waterloo, and Wilfrid Laurier University will all band together to help those RIM employees pick up the pieces after they’ve been laid-off.
The CBC reports that “The universities are adding spaces in entrepreneurship and business programs, to help workers develop skills to start their own businesses. Communitech and Employment Ontario will help workers find new jobs in the sector in the region, sometimes referred to as ‘Silicon Valley North.’ The province will also create a centre where laid-off workers can look for new jobs, get employment counselling or go back to school.”
RIM has not confirmed the timing, nor locations, of the job cuts, but they are expected to be widespread, possibly impacting those in customer service, human resources, marketing, non-enterprise sales roles. Anyone focussed on bringing the new BlackBerry 10 OS to life is reportedly “safe.”
RIM’s global head office is located in Waterloo, Ontario. Currently there’s over 16,500 employees – 9,000 of them work in the Waterloo region.
Source: CBC
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