IBM pledges itself to Portsmouth

IBM said recently that its facility at Lakeside North Harbour in Portsmouth remains its UK headquarters, despite recent job losses and the closure of two of its four units. The group refused to reveal how many workers had been ‘let go’ but said that the closures were necessary, as more employees are working ‘out of the office’.

A company spokesman said: “IBM teams are more mobile and are working remotely more often than before, so we continually evaluate our real-estate requirements to match the needs of our clients. Change is constant in our industry, and transformation is a permanent feature of our business model. Consequently, some level of workforce re-mix is an on-going part of our business.”