EMC firings confirmed

HOPKINTON — EMC Corp. confirmed reports in the Wall Street Journal that the company
had fired “hundreds” of employees after routine evaluations of performance. A
company spokesman said the firings had nothing to do with the economy or the company’s
business outlook. EMC would not specify the number of employees let go, the spokesman
asserting it was not a significant number worthy of quantifying. The spokesman
said the people fired were let go because they were “underperforming” or lacked
the skills required “for the challenges ahead,” the Providence Journal reported.
EMC, which employs about 600 Rhode Islanders in its facilities along Route 495
in Franklin, Southboro, Westboro, Milford or Hopkinton, has 24,000 employees worldwide.
The company spokesman told the Boston Globe it planned to add 7,000 more employees
by the end of this year. The company’s stock had fallen early last week, then
rallied amid reports that the company faced slowing sales, a position vigorously
denied by the spokesman.