Recruitment giant Randstad will cut 489 jobs and close 85 branches in France, to save more than €25m annually, the company announced today.

The branch closures, which were attributed to difficult market conditions, are in addition to the planned 72 branch closures planned under the merger of Randstad France and VediorBis, as announced by the company in November 2008.

However, around 100 of the 489 full-time equivalent staff cuts and € 5m of the savings are “part of the initial synergies that will be brought forward”, a company statement said. “The 85 branches will be merged into branches nearby, enabling us not to leave any geographic area.”

The €25m saved annually will, however, have to be invested in costs related to redundancy and office closure measures, a company spokesman confirmed.

“We hate to lose these people,” the spokesman said. “We’re a people company.”

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