The British oil giant told employees in a memo Thursday that it would slash around 4,700 jobs this year. The company also said it was cutting 3,000 contractor roles and that 2,600 of those contractors had already departed.

Confirming the job losses, the FTSE 100 company said the reduction in its workforce was down to cost cutting measures.

U.K.-based oil company is cutting 4,700 jobs worldwide and a further 3,000 contractor roles as part of a cost-saving drive.

The company employs 90,000 people worldwide and the internal job cuts represent around 5% of its workforce.

BP will cut over 5% of its global workforce, it said on Thursday, as part of CEO Murray Auchincloss' efforts to reduce costs and rebuild investor confidence in the energy giant. Around 4,700 employees and 3,

Petroleum giant British Petroleum will cut 4,700 jobs this year in a cost cutting measure, the company announced Thursday. That amounts to about 5% of its total workforce.