The Nerdery, the Bloomington Web design and IT firm, has laid off about 5 percent of its nearly 500 employees nationally.
The move comes as the Nerdery helps lead an effort with other companies to train more entry-level technology-support workers through a private academy run by a Nerdery executive.
The company characterized the layoff as more of an adjustment than a permanent cutback.
"Today we've reduced our staff by 23 after reassessing the makeup of our team based on the market's demand for various technologies," Nerdery President Tom O'Neill said in a prepared statement late Friday.
"Technology moves fast, forcing market demand to fluctuate. Our goal is to make sure all of our Nerds are sharing their incredible talent with our clients vs. sitting on the bench."
O'Neill said the staff reduction includes 15 people in Minnesota, where it employs 379. There were several cuts in Chicago and among home-based workers in other states.
The company said it would help affected workers find other jobs.
"We'll continue to hire for tech skills in high demand and currently have more than 20 job openings, and we'll continue to assess our team based on market demand as technologies emerge," O'Neill said.
Last week, Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges joined President Obama to announce that Minneapolis is one of a couple of dozen cities that are part of a TechHire initiative. The program will help high school graduates develop IT skills through training programs.
Minneapolis will work with Prime Digital Academy, an 18-week program created by the Nerdery and other employers, and two other training programs.
Neal St. Anthony • 612-673-7144
