Toshiba to cut 3,900 more posts

Shares in Toshiba rose after the news

Japanese electronics giant Toshiba has said it is to cut a further 3,900 temporary jobs by March 2010 to cope with the global economic downturn.

The group will not renew the contracts of the workers, most of whom are temporary staff, executive vice president Fumio Muraoka said.

Toshiba has already laid off 4,500 temporary workers.

The news came as it said it expected to report a net loss of 350bn yen ($3.5bn; £2.39bn) for the year to March 2009.

It had previously forecast a loss of 280bn yen. The annual loss will be Toshiba's first for seven years.

However, it said its operating loss would be a smaller-than-expected 250bn yen, thanks to the stabilisation of flash memory chip prices.

Toshiba shares climbed 3.5% to 329 yen on the news.

Waning demand

In January, Toshiba reported weak demand due to the economic downturn and a stronger yen, which has hit Japan's exports.

Toshiba is a leading maker of NAND flash memory chips that are used in iPods and other digital music players, as well as making electronic goods.

But demand has waned for semiconductors, flat-screen televisions, and other electronic gadgets during the global downturn.

The company has already cut jobs and slashed investment, and last month it named a new president.