Source: Austin CultureMapAustin-based hardware and software company NI (formerly National Instruments), one of the largest tech employers in Central Texas, is notifying more than 650 employees this week that they're losing their jobs. NI announced on October 29 that it would reduce its global workforce by about 9 percent over the next nine to 12 months. The move comes in response to the recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The company didn't specify how many employees would be let go. But at 9 percent, about 650 employees, including 200 in Austin. would be laid off, based on a global workforce of about 7,300. Before the layoffs, NI employed about 2,200 people at its North Austin headquarters. In a letter to employees, NI president and CEO Eric Starkloff said this "hard but necessary decision" would affect employees across the company's various worksites around the world. "My promise to you is that we will go through this process in the most thoughtful, compassionate, and transparent way possible, out of respect to those impacted as well as those staying to lead us into the future," Starkloff wrote.
