WEATHERFORD CUTS JOBS

Oil services company Weatherford International Plc increased the total number of employees it is looking to lay off in 2015 to 10,000 as it copes with the fall in oil prices.

The Dublin-based company, which had earlier said it would cut 8,000 jobs in 2015, said it completed 6,449 job cuts by the end of the first quarter.

Weatherford said it expects to complete the revised job cuts program by the end of the second quarter, and expects annualized savings of $640 million.

The company said its 18 percent headcount reduction goal for the year would leave it with about 39,000 employees in its core businesses and 6,000 rig employees.

The company also cut its capital expenditure forecast for 2015 by $50 million to $850 million.

The announcement comes nearly a week after industry leader Schlumberger Ltd said it would cut a further 11,000 jobs and reduced its capital spending plan for this year as it prepares for an extended period of lower activity and pricing pressure, especially in North America.

Net loss attributable to the company widened to $118 million, or 15 cents per share, in the first quarter ended March 31, from $41 million, or 5 cents per share, a year earlier.

The company's revenue fell 22.3 percent to $2.79 billion.

Weatherford's shares, which closed at $13.37 on Wednesday, have fallen more than 27 percent in the past 12 months.

reuters.com