Tech Sector Layoffs: A Scorecard

Ailing PC maker Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) on Wednesday confirmed rumors that it would cut 27,000 jobs over the next two years, trimming its headcount by about eight percent via a combination of layoffs and early retirement packages, as it seeks to restructure its business to take advantage of higher margin cloud computing opportunities. HP currently employs around 350,000 workers and the cuts are expected to save the company $3.5 billion annually.

The announcement was expected -- especially given that the news leaked to the media late last week -- but that did little to soften the blow (despite Wall Street's enthusiasm for the plan), as HP became the latest in a long line of tech sector firms to lay off employees of late. In fact, over the past few years pink slips have become an all too regular part of life in Silicon Valley. Consider these examples from just the past 12 months.

IBM
Total cuts: 1,800 North American workers
Timeline: Multiple rounds through April 2012
Remaining headcount: 430,000
(IBM)

Yahoo!
Total cuts: 2,000 (following 750 cuts in two rounds of layoffs since Dec. 2010)
Timeline: April 2012
Remaining headcount: 12,000
(YHOO)

HP
Total cuts: 27,275 (including 275 layoffs in February 2012)
Timeline: May 2012-October 2014
Remaining headcount: 350,000
(HPQ)

Trident Microsystems
Total cuts: 275
Timeline: Early 2012
Remaining headcount: 1,000
(TRIDQ.PK)

Nokia
Total cuts: 7,500 worldwide (bringing the total cuts to more than 30,000 since Sept. 2010)
Timeline: April-October 2011
Remaining headcount: 124,000
(NOK)

AMD
Total cuts: 1,400
Timeline: November 2011
Remaining headcount: 10,000
(AMD)

Spansion
Total cuts: 750
Timeline: November 2011
Remaining headcount: 3,000
(CODE)

Research In Motion
Total cuts: 2,000 (plus a number of senior executives and co-CEO Jim Balsillie in March 2012)
Timeline: July 2011
Remaining headcount: 17,000
(RIMM)

Cisco
Total cuts: 6,500 (including 2,100 early retirees)
Timeline: July 2011
Remaining headcount: 60,000
(CSCO)