With the news of DHL cutting down 9,500 U.S. jobs, Barack Obama seems to have his work cut out for him. In a further slap to the American economy, DHL has decided to discontinue both its air and ground operations within the United States.
While the DHL Express services will continue to operate between the United States and other nations, the domestic air and ground services within the US will be halted by January 30, 2009.
The 9,500 job cuts come after 5,400 job reductions DHL announced earlier in 2008. DHL will have between 3,000 and 4,000 employees for its U.S. service after the new reductions.
Mega Terminations
DHL Shuts US Domestic Services, Cuts 9500 Jobs
Trend Themes
1. Logistics Consolidation - The trend of consolidating logistics companies for cost savings and efficiency is growing, as seen in DHL's decision to discontinue its US domestic services.
2. Shift to International Operations - As DHL discontinues its US domestic services, the company is refocusing on its international services, signaling a trend towards shifting focus to cross-border logistics.
3. Impact of Economic Downturn - DHL's megaterminations and job cuts are indicative of the broader impact the economic downturn has had on logistics, creating opportunities for innovative solutions to mitigate further harm.
Industry Implications
1. Logistics - The logistics industry is ripe for disruptive innovation that can meet the growing demand for efficient and cost-effective cross-border services, as well as mitigate the impact of economic downturns.
2. Technology - The technology industry has the potential to disrupt logistics by developing new solutions for efficient, cost-effective and secure cross-border services that can cut operation costs while promoting scalability.
3. Human Resource Management - The human resource management industry can provide innovative solutions to mitigate the impact of job losses, providing training and support to transitioning employees or identifying new opportunities for them in other sectors.