Boeing warns of possible layoffs in 2009

Boeing Co says it will likely lay off more workers next year as it cuts costs in a slowing economy.

Boeing Co says it will likely lay off more workers next year as it cuts costs in a slowing economy. The news comes after Boeing said it planned to lay off 800 workers at a facility in Wichita, Kansas, due partly to the delay of a US Air Force tanker replacement program.

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A Boeing executive wrote in a memo to workers Thursday that the aerospace company expects to reduce its overall work force in 2009. In the memo, Senior Vice President of Human Resources Rick Stephens says the employment decline could exceed Boeing's average annual attrition rate of 4 to 5 percent, and that it will include a mix of attrition, hiring freezes and layoffs.

The Chicago-based company had more than 164,000 employees at the end of October.