Officials confirm 202 job cuts at IBM's Dubuque facility in company's worldwide layoff

State officials say 202 employees at IBM's Dubuque facility will lose their jobs next month as part of the company's worldwide layoff.

The Telegraph Herald reports (http://bit.ly/1Hl0Xeh ) that IBM informed employees Wednesday of a "permanent mass layoff event." An Iowa Workforce Development statement says the layoffs would become effective Feb. 27.

Rick Dickinson, president and CEO of Greater Dubuque Development Corp., said the cuts drop IBM's employment in Dubuque to somewhere between 600 and 650. He said that's about half of the company's peak employment of 1,300 in 2011.

The layoffs in Dubuque are part of companywide reductions after IBM announced a $600 million workforce rebalancing in its fourth-quarter filing for 2014.

IBM opened a global delivery center in Dubuque in 2009.

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Information from: Telegraph Herald, http://www.thonline.com