IT jobs at risk as AstraZeneca announces cull

More IT jobs could go at AstraZeneca

IT jobs could be at risk as pharma giant AstraZeneca announced a job cuts programme that will affect 8,000 jobs worldwide.

Press reports suggest that business infrastructure and research and development – areas that often employ a substantial number of technology staff – are among the departments affected.

The IT department at the company has already seen extensive cuts over the past few years.

For example, some 1,100 IT staff worked in data management at AstraZeneca prior to the start of an outsourcing deal with Indian IT services firm Cognizant in 2007. Since the contract began, the workforce was reduced to some 300 Cognizant staff and 50 AstraZeneca employees.

AstraZeneca's four-year redundancy plan, which aims to generate £1.1bn in savings by 2014, has already eliminated an additional 12,600 roles across various departments.

The company’s key sites are located in Macclesfield, Cheshire and London, with additional offices in Alderley Park, Loughborough, Bristol and Luton.