Rogers Media implemented immediate layoffs across its publishing sector yesterday across several business-to-business and consumer publications. The cuts did not affect other Rogers divisions, but swept across positions in editorial, advertising and production.

‘The drop in advertising spending has been even steeper than we and other media had anticipated,’ Suneel Khanna, senior director of communications for Rogers Consumer Publishing tells MiC. Khanna would not confirm the number of employees that were let go, but magazine watchdog publication Masthead Online is reporting the figure to be about 40 jobs, or 4% of its workforce.

Canadian Business, which yesterday also received the prestigious Magazine of the Year nomination from the National Magazine Awards, said goodbye to three staffers in editorial, a source has confirmed.

In December, Rogers laid off about 40 people and in January offered employees the option of a four-day work week in exchange for a 20% pay cut. Khanna says any decisions that were made in the past were thought to be right for the economic reality at the time, as they are during this round of layoffs.