Sony head honcho Howard Stringer will announce on Thursday plans to eliminate 2,000 full-time jobs and close two television manufacturing plants in the face of a projected $1.1 billion loss, reports Japan's Nikkei Daily.
Potentially more painful to Stringer is a reported plan to cut managerial and executive bonuses for the year.
Nikkei reports that the 2,000 jobs Sony will cut at home — a fraction of the 16,000 positions it plans to eliminate worldwide — will be done through attrition, by leaving jobs vacated by retirement or resignation unfulfilled. The cuts are expected to be complete by the end of the company's fiscal year.
No word yet on how this may affect Sony's PlayStation business, as it's the Japanese giant's electronics endeavors that are currently dragging the company down hardest.
Sony's hi-def console competitor Microsoft is also reported to be on the receiving end of cut backs, with analysts projecting between 6,000 and 8,000 staffers let go. We expect to hear more from both parties later in the day.
Sony to shut Japan TV plant, cut 2,000 jobs-Nikkei [Reuters]