Experian lays off 130

In a move indicative of our swiftly changing economy, Experian laid off approximately 130 staffers Thursday, December 11.

The staff reductions were company-wide, not focused on any particular area of the business. Experian employs more than 5,500 people in North America and more than 15,000 people in 38 countries worldwide.

“Experian is always trying to improve its business practices and operations to make sure the needs of our clients are being met, and as client needs change, we have to make sure we are best positioned to serve them and remain competitive in the market,” explained company spokesman Christopher Fielder. “We're just trying to be as efficient as possible in order to best take on new challenges with emerging channels.”

Some of those emerging channels include mobile and digital media — especially important as the offline and online worlds increasingly converge.  

Experian is also building up its capabilities in the health industry: on Wednesday, the company closed a $90 million deal to acquire SearchAmerica Inc., which offers payment prediction data and analytics to the healthcare industry. The acquisition was funded with Experian's existing cash resources.