McKinsey to cut as many as 210 support staff

NEW YORK, Nov 26 Reuters reported that the WSJ said Management consulting firm McKinsey & Co.(which sells to the automotive business) is in the midst of cutting about 210 support staff, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.

The newspaper's online edition said the firm has been cutting about five to seven percent of its 3,000 support staff in the United States and Canada.

McKinsey, which employs about 13,000 worldwide, is not cutting any of its 7,000 consulting staff, aside from the departures resulting from its usual ``up-or-out'' performance reviews, the newspaper said.

But after a strong recruiting season last year and a drop in voluntary attrition, in particular in North America, the number of staff has risen at a faster rate than in previous years and therefore more people are being asked to leave, the Wall Street Journal said.

``We've always had a rigorous up-or-out policy, and we're applying it,'' a McKinsey spokesman says, according to the newspaper.

The newspaper said McKinsey, like many management-consulting firms, has been hit by the economic downturn and uncertainties following the September 11 attacks.