Mizuho Financial Group Inc is considering cutting its global workforce by a third in the next decade to stem a decline in profitability due to prolonged low interest rates in Japan, a person with knowledge of the issue told Reuters on Saturday.
Japan's second largest banking group by holdings plans to cut around 19,000 jobs from 60,000 at the moment by increasing its use of information technology to streamline operations at its core units - Mizuho Bank, Mizuho Trust and Banking Co. and Mizuho Securities Co., while also consolidating branches. Mizuho aims to flesh out the plan from next week, and announce details when it releases its latest earnings next month, according to the source, who was not authorised to comment on the issue.