Weatherford International cuts 8,000 jobs as oil industry layoffs continue

By Benjamin SnyderManaging Editor
Benjamin SnyderManaging Editor

Benjamin Snyder is Fortune's managing editor, leading operations for the newsroom.

Prior to rejoining Fortune, he was a managing editor at Business Insider and has worked as an editor for Bloomberg, LinkedIn and CNBC, covering leadership stories, sports business, careers and business news. He started his career as a breaking news reporter at Fortune in 2014.

Oil Declines Below 60USD A Barrel
FILE PHOTO: Oil workers operate drill sections while working on the drilling floor beneath the travelling block, right, on a derrick operated by Salym Petroleum in Salym, Khanty-Mansi autonomous region, Russia, on Tuesday, July 2, 2013. Oil extended losses below $60 a barrel amid speculation that OPEC's biggest members will defend market share against U.S. shale producers. Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Photograph by Andrey Rudakov — Bloomberg via Getty Images

Oilfield services company Weatherford International (WFT) has become the latest energy firm to announce job cuts with plans to lay off 8,000 workers.

The company said Thursday it will downsize its workforce as a way to reduce spending following a sharp drop in oil prices that has caused much of the industry to curtail investment and halt new drilling.

Weatherford’s cuts, the vast majority of which are targeted in Western Hemisphere, will amount to 15% of its employees. The company expects the cuts to save around $350 million annually, according to the The Wall Street Journal.

“We are ready to react swiftly to a dramatically changing landscape,” said CEO Bernard J. Duroc-Danner. He added that “Market conditions will be exceptionally harsh, especially in North America.”

The move comes as a slew of oil companies have cut jobs in recent weeks. A study released Thursday showed that the industry last 21,000 jobs in January. Schlumberger (SLB), Baker Hughes (BHI), Halliburton (HAL) and ConocoPhillips (COP) have slashed positions.

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