Thomson Reuters is in fact going through a "transitional phase" (i.e. layoffs); specifically with IT staff. Positions are being outsourced to a third party company. Existing staff are told that everyone will be offered a job by the third party company, however this translates to...
You will be offered a short term contract (few months at best) and then given a severance package. One of the most effective ways to show your stockholders that the company is profitable is by cutting your costs - that's a no brainer. Unfortunately to the detriment of many [former] loyal employees, they are now being rewarded with a boot out the door.
Cost cutting measures will continue for the next few years; yep, you guessed it...more layoffs. The company is taking drastic measures to cut costs, for what I believe are short term gains. The quality and reliability of their products will suffer, which in turn will lead to lower customer retention.
By the time senior executives realize their short sighted decisions of years past have caught up to them, the company will have little choice but to re-invest in bringing back full time positions to the U.S. The company's reputation for being an "Employer of Choice" went out the window years ago.
What a shame!