SINGAPORE - British technology company Dyson is cutting 900 jobs globally due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on consumer demand, it said on Thursday (July 23).

While the bulk of the cuts - 600 positions - are in the UK, The Straits Times understands that 16 roles in Singapore, where its global headquarters is located, are affected.

Globally, the largest proportion of layoffs are in retail and customer service, and the company is looking to redeploy workers to alternative roles where possible, a Dyson spokesman said.

The company employs about 1,200 people in Singapore, of whom 350 are engineers and scientists.

Dyson, best known for its vacuum cleaners and hair-dryers, employs some 14,000 people around the world and more than 4,000 of them are in the UK.

ST understands that work on its new headquarters at St James' Power Station is ongoing, but is delayed due to current pandemic situation, and there are no changes to its expansion plans here.

Its retail presence here will also not be affected, ST understands.

Dyson said last year that it has been assembling new research teams in Singapore, which specialise in areas such as machine learning, artificial intelligence and robotics. It abandoned plans to make electric vehicles last year.

It also developed a medical ventilator from scratch at the start of the pandemic.

In its statement on Thursday, Dyson said that the virus pandemic has accelerated changes in consumer behaviour, which requires changes in how the company engages with customers and sells its products.

"We are evolving our organisation and reflecting these changes to make us faster, more agile, and better able to grow sustainably."

The company has not furloughed any employees or drawn on public funds to support jobs anywhere in the world during this period, it noted.