6,000 jobs threatened at Intel

Intel has announced between 5,000 and 6,000 job losses in a reorganisation of manufacturing operations.

In a short statement on Wednesday, Intel said it is closing down two existing assembly and test facilities: one in Penang, Malaysia, and one in Cavite, in the Philippines. It also said it will also stop production at Fab 20, an older 200mm wafer fabrication facility in Hillsboro, Oregon.

Silicon-wafer production operations will also end at the D2 facility in Santa Clara, California.

The move will affect "between 5,000 and 6,000 employees worldwide" Intel said in the statement. The company added that "not all employees will leave Intel", and some may be offered positions at other facilities.

The actions will take place between now and the end of 2009, Intel said.

The news comes just over a week after Intel announced poor fourth-quarter results. The company had a 90 percent drop in profit from the previous quarter and an $8.2bn drop or 23 percent when compared to the same quarter in the previous year.