Computer maker NEC Corp. said Thursday that it will reduce its global workforce by 9.3 percent, or 14,000 jobs, by the end of March, doubling the number of jobs to be slashed from the figure it announced in late October.

NEC also said it expects its first-ever group operating loss -- 57 billion yen for the 2001 business year -- a turnaround from the 30 billion yen in profits it estimated in autumn.

NEC President Koji Nishigaki said the company, restructuring amid the global downturn in in the information technology industry, needs to continue streamlining its operations to become profitable.

The restructuring measures include downsizing production of DRAM chips by closing a plant in Britain and reducing production lines, he said.

NEC will write off 300 billion yen to carry out the plan in the 2001 business year, Nishigaki said, adding the firm has revised downward its earnings projections made in October.

It now forecasts consolidated net losses of 300 billion yen, up from an earlier projection of 150 billion yen in consolidated net losses. Its consolidated pretax losses will grow to 460 billion yen, more than double the previous projection of 220 billion yen in consolidated pretax losses.

Group sales will fall to 5.07 trillion yen from an earlier forecast of 5.3 trillion yen.

The manufacturer said it also incurred consolidated net losses of 155 billion yen for the October-December quarter, compared with consolidated net profits of 8.3 billion yen the same period a year earlier.

NEC attributed the drop to deteriorating demand for semiconductors and mobile equipment displays, company officials said.

The chip maker posted consolidated pretax losses of 253 billion yen in 2001, a sharp turnaround from the consolidated pretax profits of 5.4 billion yen during the corresponding period in 2000. It reported consolidated operating losses of 64.2 billion yen, down from consolidated operating profits of 28.3 billion yen the previous year.

Group sales fell 9.5 percent from a year earlier to 1.13 trillion yen.