Siemens is to cut up to 15,000 jobs as part of a cost-cutting programme.
According to a company spokesman, the German industrial group will cut about 4% of its workforce of 370,000, but aims to avoid compulsory redundancies.
The group will shed 5000 jobs in Germany and another 10,000 jobs abroad.
Siemens and its unions have reached an agreement over about half of the job cuts and a deal on the other half will follow, the spokesman said.
Chief executive Peter Loescher was sacked earlier this year over falling profitability.
The BBC reports the company has issued two warnings about profit margins during the last fiscal year.
