IBM CEO Ginni Rometty Photograph by Stuart Isett/Fortune Most Powerful Women

IBM is cutting about 2,000 jobs from its total headcount as it works to reshape its business, according to news reports, including one from the Wall Street Journal where the company confirmed the job cuts via a statement from a representative. 2,000 jobs represent less than 1% of its total employees, which stood at 350,600 by 2018 end.

In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, IBM confirmed that a “small percentage of employees” who are not performing “at a competitive level” would be laid off from the company. “We are continuing to re-position our team to align with our focus on the high value segments of the IT market – while aggressively hiring in critical new areas that deliver value for our clients and IBM,” an IBM representative said in a statement.

IBM Executive Harriet Green. Green serves as IBM General Manager for Watson Internet of Things, Customer Engagement and Education image: IBM

As part of a shift toward cloud computing and artificial intelligence away from traditional IT, IBM began cutting headcount in the U.S. in 2016. The company also made additional lay-offs in 2017. IBM has moved slowly in comparison to the overall tech sector, with a concurrent six-year sales decline that got broken with just 1% revenue growth in 2018.

Even amid job cuts, IBM still has roughly 25,000 open job positions globally.

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