Worries on the computer industry employment front switched to the west of Ireland yesterday when the British owned Volex plant in Castlebar, Co Mayo said it had a surplus workforce of between 80 and 100 employees.

The news comes just one day after IDA Ireland warned that more job losses would follow in coming days, in both the high and low end of the tech sector.

Volex, which employs more than 600 staff, did not announce any lay-offs but said discussions with the workforce and the SIPTU trade union would continue next week to try to find solutions to the problems caused by a downturn in the markets.

Last May, more than 120 staff went on short-time working at the plant which manufactures computer cable assembly systems. In April, 150 workers - mostly temporary - were let go.

Next Thursday, Volex management will tell its workforce what layoffs, if any, are required.

"It is very difficult at this stage to call exactly what is going to happen", Mr John Corcoran, general manager, said yesterday.

It is understood that a number of remedies are being explored by the company in its discussions with the trade union and the workforce. These include the length of the working week, working patterns and shift patterns.

"There has been uncertainty during the summer and we are now at a point where we need to make decisions," Mr Corcoran said.

On a positive note, Mr Corcoran said that over the past eight to 10 weeks, revenue levels had improved significantly and levelled off. He predicted that it would be early to mid-2002 before the world telecommunications market made a recovery.

This week has seen a rash of closures in the tech sector.

According to IDA Ireland, more than 4,500 jobs have been lost in the tech sector since the beginning of the year.

Victims of the downturn in demand for tech sector products this week alone, included Tellabs in Drogheda, where more than 200 jobs were lost. SMTC manufacturing in Donegal and Trend Technologies are also shedding jobs.