AT&T; Hires Keep Employment Stable

Even as it is cutting thousands of jobs, AT&T; Corp. is hiring, meaning the telecommunications giant will end the year with roughly the same number of employees it had at the start, a company spokesman said Monday.

The company cut about 7,700 jobs this year, but hiring in its wireless, Internet, customer care and local phone operations offset the losses. AT&T; had 128,200 workers last year and about the same number at the end of its third quarter in late September.

“Hiring in growth areas of our company . . . in effect offset the declines in staff and traditional areas,� spokesman Jim Byrnes said.

The New York-based company still plans to cut an additional 9,300 jobs over the next two years.

“There may be growth in some areas of business, but at the same time, we are intent on achieving the target of cutting out a total of 17,000 jobs over three years,� Byrnes said.

Because of the new hires, however, “it’s not going to be a net cut of 17,000,� he said.

Only a few of those laid off found other jobs with AT&T.;

The 17,000 job cuts are part of the 40,000 that AT&T; said in January it would make in its communications business as well as the old NCR Corp. and now-independent Lucent Technologies.

Employees who face layoffs have 60 days to apply for other jobs at the company, where they will be given preference in hiring, Byrnes said. So far, only about 2,000 people have transferred to other parts of the company, he said.

Only a few of the 17,000 jobs being cut will come from attrition, Byrnes said. AT&T; has a regular turnover of about 13,000 workers a year as people retire, resign or are fired, but some of those jobs need to be filled.

AT&T; shares gained 37.5 cents to close at $44.125 on the New York Stock Exchange.