Could HP layoffs mean growth for company in Fort Collins?

Will Hewlett-Packard’s recent announcement of a planned 25,000 to 30,000 new layoffs ultimately mean a stronger presence for the company in Fort Collins?

The answer is unknown, as company officials this week declined comment on the impact of the layoffs for specific locations. But Fort Collins Chamber of Commerce president and CEO David May sounded optimistic Wednesday about the fate of HP’s Fort Collins operations, where the company is estimated to employ between 1,200 and 1,500 people.

“In terms of local impacts, it is a big unknown at this time,” May said in an email to BizWest. “As the company splits, Fort Collins remains on the radar screen per conversations we had with HP executives this summer. As they are downsizing the workforce, they will also be consolidating and shifting functions and the attendant jobs. It is conceivable that we could actually gain jobs, but it’s too early to say.”

HP is set to split into two companies in November: Hewlett Packard Enterprise, which will be focused on selling servers and software to businesses; and HP Inc., which will be focused on personal computers and printers.

HP officials on Tuesday announced the new round of layoffs, which accounts for about 10 percent of the company’s worldwide workforce and is in addition to a previously announced round of 55,000 job cuts. The cuts are expected to save the company $2.7 billion annually. The reorganization could come with the closing of certain facilities, which contributes to why local officials are hopeful that Fort Collins could end up absorbing employees from other locations.

In addition to Fort Collins, HP has had an office in Boulder since its 2008 acquisition of Left Hand Networks, which at the time had more than 100 employees in the city. But the impact of the new layoffs in Boulder is also unknown.

Officials for the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, as of Wednesday, had not received a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification from HP alerting the state to any layoffs.

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