Clariant announces another 500 job cuts
The Swiss chemicals company, Clariant, has confirmed a newspaper report that it will shed a further 500 jobs.
The Basel-based firm cut more than 3,000 of its workforce last year, and at the end of 2009 employed less than 18,000 people worldwide.
A Clariant spokesman confirmed the report in the Sonntag newspaper, saying that employees at Swiss plants could also be affected by the measure.
The Swiss company, along with many in the specialty chemicals industry, has been hit hard by the downturn in key markets like automaking and building.
Specialty chemicals companies make products that end up in anything from skin creams and shampoos to tyres, dashboards and flat screens.
Clariant closed plants in France, Britain and Mexico last year to combat plummeting demand.
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