Putnam to Lay Off 10% of Staff

Putnam Investments announced Wednesday it will lay off 260 people, or about 10% of its staff, on Thursday, Dow Jones reports. Most of the people being let go work in distribution or operations, but a few are in sales.

Jeff Carney, senior managing director and head of global marketing and products, said the cuts are being made due to the deterioration of the economy but that they will not impede the company’s growth going forward. They are also in line with the restructuring that Putnam President and CEO Robert Reynolds has instituted since taking over as head of the firm in July.

For instance, since launching its four absolute-return mutual funds only last month, Carney noted, already 400 financial advisers are selling the products. “Advisers are responding to our message that the goal of the investor is their target as opposed to relative returns,” Carney said.