Siemens (News - Alert) has announced it will cut 15,000 jobs, which is 4 percent of its workforce – in an effort to cut costs. About half of the employees were let go before the weekend announcement.

That amount is close to double the number of layoffs the company had announced earlier.

The information has led to anger among many workers at the German-based company. A third of the layoffs will take place in Germany.

"We oppose a margin-driven job-cutting program. Siemens needs a sustainable and future-oriented program that focuses on people and not just on margins," works council chief Lothar Adler was quoted by Reuters (News - Alert).

Union reps are meeting with management to discuss the future layoffs. Some of the employees may be those taking early retirement, Bloomberg said.

Siemens wants to save $8.1 billion in reductions under a plan from its new CEO Joe Kaeser, who was the chief financial officer, and former CEO Peter Loescher. Siemens has some 370,000 workers overall.

Siemens' profits dropped to 5.7 percent during the first nine months of the fiscal year, Reuters said.

Others beside union members are concerned about the layoffs, too.

“The surprisingly large job cuts…are the upshot of putting a ‘numbers man’ in charge. A streamlined management structure is another hallmark of an efficiency-seeking boss,” a report from Qz.com states. “For the new CEO, the challenge will be to develop a long-term vision for the company that goes beyond simply wielding a hatchet, even if that is what’s needed right now. Some aggressive financial engineering may steady the ship, but new ideas will be needed to propel it forward.”

“If you see a billion euros in charges this year, that pretty much lines up with 15,000 job cuts,” Andreas Willi, an analyst at JPMorgan Chase & Co., told Bloomberg (News - Alert) News.