Citi Australia staff cuts 'minimal'


Following comments made by Citigroup's global chief executive officer Vikram Pandit that the company plans to cut around 4,500 jobs worldwide, Citi Australia claims it has made minimal reductions to staff numbers over the past 12 months.
Pandit recently told a Citigroup investor conference in New York that the company had started "a firm-wide reduction of headcount this quarter that will affect roughly 4,500 positions and will be completed over the next few quarters".
"We anticipate recording a charge in the fourth quarter for severance and other expenses related to this of approximately $400 million," Pandit added
In regards to Citigroup's Australian operations, a spokesperson from Citi Australia said the company undertook a year-end process this month and confirmed that there have been minimal reductions to headcount over the past 12 months.
The staff cuts at Citi Australia are in the "single digits" and will not impact the business or its ability to service its clients, she said.
"We're continuing to make strategic hires where it makes sense," she said.
She added that strategic hiring would continue across both Citi Australia's retail and institutional businesses.
Citi Australia employs about 2,000 people, but the spokesperson could not confirm whether or not Pandit's comments would affect positions at Citi Australia in the future.
Recommended for you
The Financial Services and Credit Panel has made a written direction after advice regarding non-concessional contributions meant an individual was forced to withdraw over $330,000 from their super.
Merchant Wealth’s David Haintz has described how the firm differs from the traditional private equity ventures jumping into Australia, and why M&A isn’t like Married at First Sight.
ASIC has been granted permission to shut down almost 100 websites running investment scams, with the Federal Court describing how its victims were “fattened like pigs to slaughter”.
An Adelaide-based financial planning and accounting firm is set to merge into Count Adelaide, aligning with Count’s ambitions to form a national footprint of scaled equity partnerships.