Sprint has confirmed it plans to layoff about 4000 people, as The Reston Citizen reported last week. The Wall Street Journal, who originally ran the story also claimed the Reston corporate headquarters would be moved to it’s operational headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas, but the company has remained silent on it’s intentions there.
Steve Fuller, an economist at George Mason University says this about the potential damage (or lack thereof) that would affect Reston and Fairfax County. Here’s what the Reston Times reports he said:
“Fairfax County has a 2.1 percent unemployment rate, we have a shortage of highly-qualified workers,” he said. Most former Sprint Nextel employees “would probably find a pretty good job if they wanted to,” he added.
As for the county’s reputation, Fuller said it’s economy is so strong that it would easily withstand the change. Fuller’s annual economic forecast for the county has a projected increase of 13,000 jobs, and its unemployment rate remains well below the national average of 5 percent.
The Reston headquarters of Sprint employees about 4500 people, which has lead to speculation about headquarters move. Sprint’s new CEO, has proposed large changes for turning the company around, including closing over 4,000 retail locations.
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