New York, Sep 15 (EFE; additional reporting by The Costa Rica Star).– Hewlett Packard on Tuesday announced that it intends to lay off up to 30,000 workers to help cut costs by some $2.7 billion.

The tech giant made the announcement in a communique issued from San Jose, California, which listed a series of measures to be taken to restructure the business group.

The move was announced during a meeting on Tuesday between top HP executives and stock market analysts in which they discussed details of the group’s business strategy and updated their financial projections.

The tech group has been pursuing a restructuring plan since last year and at that time it announced its intention to lay off about 50,000 employees, to which have been added the 25,000 to 30,000 mentioned on Tuesday.

On Oct. 6, 2014, HP announced that it was splitting into two companies – HP Inc., which would take over the tasks relating to personal computers and printers, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, focusing on providing computer services to companies.

It is expected that the split will be completed next November and Hewlett Packard Enterprise will be listed on the stock market using the symbol HPE.

HP president Meg Whitman will remain at the helm of the division focused on providing equipment and software services to companies, while Dion Weisler will become the chief of the personal computer entity.

The communique said that the corporate services division will have annual income of some $50 billion.

Whitman said that the restructuring will allow Hewlett Packard Enterprise to be more competitive and have a more sustainable cost structure.

The announcement was made after the market close on Wall Street, but in post-market electronic trading two hours after the closing bell, HP shares had fallen by 1.33 percent. EFE

Business As Usual in Costa Rica

As reported by Arik Hesseldahl of tech news site Re/Code, Whitman is looking to cut jobs in HP locations where labor costs are higher, including the United States and Europe:

Most of [the laid off employees] — about 60 percent — will by 2018 be replaced by workers in one of five HP offices around the world: Costa Rica; Manila, the Philippines; Sofia, Bulgaria; and Bangalore and Chennai in India. “We expect to grow significantly in these locations,” she said.

In late June, the Human Resources Department of HP in Costa Rica explained how the two new HP entities are working: HP Inc. will focus on desktops, portable devices and printers while Hewlett-Packard Enterprise will focus on business solutions and software. About 20 percent of the workforce is dedicated to HP Inc., where the responsibilities are greater and the salaries are more lucrative.

HP operations will mostly be concentrated at the Zona Franca America in Heredia, in three buildings. One office will operate from Plaza Roble in Escazu.

Earlier this month, HP indicated that recruiting and hiring in Costa Rica is active and has no plans of slowing down; in fact, there may be a payroll expansion in the next couple of years. HP is the second largest employer in Costa Rica after Wal-Mart.