CommScope said it plans to lay off 110 people at its Omaha, Neb., facility, beginning in March, as the communications network infrastructure manufacturer considers options for the future of the facility. After the layoffs, fewer than 400 people will be employed at the center.
“A combination of difficult circumstances—including facility underutilization, high labor costs, customers’ spending slowdown and their demand for lower-cost products—is causing CommScope to consider all options for serving our customers, while simultaneously protecting the profitability of our business,” said Eddie Edwards, CommScope president and chief operating officer. “These actions are difficult yet unavoidable, and we regret the potential impact on our employees. We remain committed to global competitiveness and outstanding service to our customers. As we analyze manufacturing alternatives, we intend to ensure that customers continue receiving the superior service that they have come to expect from CommScope.”
The company’s Connectivity Solutions Manufacturing Inc. facility produces cabinet enclosures and enterprise apparatus solutions, said Rick Aspan, CommScope’s spokesman. The company is exploring options for the facility, including using third-party contract manufacturers or relocating the production to a cheaper CommScope location. Worldwide, CommScope employs about 11,500 people, Aspan said. In the last two years, CommScope said it has reduced workforces globally and closed facilities in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, England, Italy and the United States to reduce costs.
While layoffs continue to impact wireline industry, including 13,000 positions being cut at Verizon Communications Inc. this year, Fortune magazine and CNN Money reported that Google Inc., Qualcomm Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. are hiring.
Meanwhile, The Conference Board said online job postings for January were up by 382,000 to more than 4 million job vacancies posted online. The company does not break out communications as a category. Most job increases came in office and administration support, while the healthcare field continues to have the most online job vacancies.