Challenger, Gray has released its first quarter 2009 US job-reduction reports, by industry group. Several web-wire service stories are linking the bulk of the almost 18,000 job losses in pharma to the Merck-Schering-Plough reverse merger:
. . . .Employers in the government/non-profit sector saw the heaviest downsizing in March, with 25,324 announced job cuts. The second-ranked pharmaceutical industry announced plans to cut 17,796, most of which will come following Merck’s acquisition of Schering-Plough. . . .
Entirely separate rumors are circulating on the Yahoo! stock boards that Merck just announced another 6,000 job eliminations (though those could very well be the 25 percent reduction in the R&D function in New Jersey, previously announced) -- if the rumor is accurate, then the real US pharma job-loss figure thus far in 2009 is more like 23,000. I'll report on those, if and when Whitehouse Station puts out some official word.
1 comment:
Caution should be utmost...it is of course...April fool's day.
Though, the original speculation was for 16,000 to be let go~did anyone really think that was going to be enough?
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