Dell gears up for major job cuts across US and EMEA

Dell is preparing to swing the axe, as the firm seeks to tighten its belt following privatisation.

The ailing PC maker is reportedly gearing up to slash 30 per cent of its sales and marketing staff in EMEA and 20 per cent of its sales staff in the US, sources told The Register.

Dell is said to have 111,300 employees, but it is unknown exactly how many people face the prospect of redundancy.

During December, the firm encouraged workers to put themselves forward for a "voluntary separation program" that would see them getting a severance package.

In a statement, Dell suggested cuts are on the way, but declined to go into specific details.

"Dell continuously evaluates and implements opportunities to improve our operational effectiveness and allocate our resources," the firm said.

"When necessary, we'll continue to make tough decisions to help ensure our long-term success some of these decisions may affect our workforce. We are committed to building upon our multi-channel approach to serving customers channel, online and direct and are investing in sales coverage and training."

Any cuts will be unsurprising as Dell is at a crucial point in its history. With 2013 seeing PC sales continue to slump, the firm appears to have no choice but to downsize as it tries to reinvent itself and remain relevant in an unforgiving market.