Under pressure from shareholders, Citigroup is planning to shed thousands of jobs and focus outside North America for growth, according to a report on the website of
New York Times.The bank will get most of its growth in the future from the international arena, chief executive Charles O. Prince told thousands of employees in India on Monday as he wraps up a tour of Asia.
It is unclear how many of Citi's high-cost jobs could be moved to India where Citigroup already has about 22,000 employees. Prince said India has been the single biggest driver of growth for Citigroup's international operations, the report said.
Prince's stop in India comes just weeks before Citigroup plans to announce a broad restructuring plan that could involve the elimination or relocation of thousands of high-cost
jobs from areas including New York, London and Hong Kong, several executives briefed on the matter say.
Citi's corporate and investment bank could be hard hit, with as many as 4,000 jobs lost, they added.
Citigroup, which employs more than 3,25,000, is expected to save $1 billion in costs with the coming cuts.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that 15,000 jobs could be affected. Citigroup declined to comment on any figures, and said a review was going on.