Fidelity dismisses hundreds of workers

Fidelity Investments has eliminated 1% of its 45,000-person workforce, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Adam Banker, a spokesman for the Boston-based firm, responded in an e-mailed statement to Bloomberg that the company doesn’t comment about hiring or reductions.

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A pedestrian walks past a branch of Fidelity Investments near Wall Street in Lower Manhattan in New York, NY, Monday April 30, 2012. Photograph: Victor J. Blue/ Bloomberg News

"From time to time, our individual businesses may be making adjustments to their staffing levels; some may be adding employees while others may be reducing," Banker said in the statement. "We currently have hundreds of open positions that we are recruiting for nationwide."

Fidelity, a company that made its reputation picking stocks, has been trying to adjust to the wave of investors opting for low-cost index and ETFs over actively managed mutual funds.

Last month Fidelity said that more than 1,500 of its employees opted to take a buyout offer that was announced in February. The offer, which included salary and health-care benefits, was extended to 3,000 employees who were more than 55-years-old and had been with the company more than 10 years. At the time, Fidelity said it made the move to reduce costs and open opportunities for newer staff. — Additional reporting by Andrew Shilling

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