Northern Ireland could face further IT job woes following computer giant Fujitsu's plans to axe 1,500 jobs at its subsidiary, ICL, in Britain. ICL, which designs, builds and operates IT systems, employs more than 450 people in the North. Fujitsu also employs a further 240 people at its telecommunications centre in Belfast.

An ICL spokeswoman in Northern Ireland said there were no details available yet on how its plant in the North might be affected but she refused to rule out potential job cuts.