Silicon Valley Group Inc, San Jose is also in the wars, and says it will cut its workforce by 14% during the next two quarters because of continued economic flatness and its previously announced corporate consolidation – but it doesn’t say how many people it employs: cutbacks will include a significant number of contract and part-time employees, and the softness in the semiconductor market means that all employees will also be required to take an additional five days off during the current quarter and it is expanding its normally scheduled holiday shutdown to encompass both Christmas and New Year’s weeks; the consolidation will centralise sales, marketing and support functions for the its three divisions.
