Last year we saw Fairfax axe 160 jobs at its New Zealand business, and now Australia is facing a similar fate - with the publishing company’s editorial director Sean Aylmer warning staff it is cutting 120 editorial jobs.
The news comes on the back of a recent major shuffling of senior staff at Fairfax and the company last month reporting print advertising revenue was down by 14 per cent.
In an email to staff this morning, Aylmer wrote: “We will shortly enter a consultation period with staff and the MEAA [the media union] on a proposal to reduce costs across News and Business in the Sydney and Melbourne newsrooms by the equivalent of 120 full-time employees.
“We believe that we can do this through redundancies, tightening contributor budgets and reducing travel costs and expenses. Our decisions will be based on our understanding of our audience and the importance of our brands.
“Our reporting will continue to focus on investigations, state and federal politics, justice and breaking news, sport, entertainment and business. While we are much more efficient in producing quality journalism, we still have a way to go. Change is a permanent part of our industry. It is a reflection of what we know about the ways our readers are consuming our stories. We must continue to evolve with them."
