The Philippines’ trade secretary urged Nokia to assist its soon-to-be unemployed workers in finding jobs at other companies on 23rd January 2020.
A week earlier, the company announced that it will be closing down its research and development center (R&D) in Quezon City at the end of the year.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) chief Ramon Lopez said in a statement:
“We are urgently reaching-out to Nokia in order to match their talented workforce with foreign companies that are in advanced stage of setting-up R&D centers in the Philippines, as well as provide any assistance they may need in order to smooth-en the transition and re-deployment of their human resources,”
“There are other companies planning to put up its R&D in the country, and the Nokia employees who would lose their jobs may be absorbed by these new and expanding companies,” he added.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that Nokia decided to close down its Technology Center in UP-AyalaLand Technohub in Quezon City.
A Nokia official also said the company had decided to close its Manila Technology Center by the third quarter of the year.
Lopez said “the development was a response to a more challenging global competitive environment in the telecoms equipment industry.”
“Nokia is of course always welcome to re-establish an R&D center here in the future, as well as any aspect of its business in the country,” Lopez said.
According to ABS CBN news, workers reportedly would be leaving the firm’s R&D center starting March 2020. Operations, however, are expected to continue on at least until September 2020.
