BHP Billiton to Slash 6,000 Jobs

Mining giant BHP Billiton announced plans to slash 6,000 jobs, or about 6% of its global workforce.

CFO Alex Vanselow told reporters that about 550 jobs will be cut in Pinto Valley, Arizona; the rest will be in Australia and Chile.

BHP Billiton is the world’s largest mining company, created in 2001 by the merger of Australia’s Broken Hill Proprietary (founded 1885) and the UK’s Billiton (founded 1860). The result is a dual-listed company with head offices in Melbourne and London.

Inclement weather caused a BHP Billiton helicopter to crash in Angola in November, 2007, killing the helicopter’s five passengers, including BHP’s COO in Angola, David Hopgood.