LONDON, May 2 (Reuters) - British oil and gas explorer BP will cut around 30 percent of IT jobs in itsinternational upstream division following a review of itssupport services, a source familiar with the situation said.
BP confirmed its support service review may result in IT joblosses, but declined to comment on the number of employeesconcerned.
"This review by upstream IT leadership is ongoing but we doexpect it may result in a reduction in the number of roles overthe next year or so," said a BP spokesman.
A source with direct knowledge of the situation said 30percent of IT staff mainly in the upstream division wereaffected.
The ongoing financial impact on BP from its 2010 oil spillin the Gulf of Mexico has forced it to start a major divestmentprogramme, especially of its production assets.
By the end of 2015, BP wants to sell $10 billion worth ofassets, in addition to the $40 billion worth of disposals madeto help pay for the oil spill.
In March, it started a review of support services, includingits international upstream division.
BP said it wanted to place any employees affected by thestaff cuts in other roles within the company.
The oil major employs 24,700 people in its global upstreamdivision, but only a fraction of those work in IT, BP said.
(Reporting by Karolin Schaps;Editing by Jonathan Leff andElaine Hardcastle)