About three thousand employees were laid off at the country’s top three shipbuilders in the third quarter alone as the industry carried out aggressive restructuring programs.

Hyundai Heavy Industries cut its workforce by 26-hundred from 26-thousand-300 in June to 23-thousand-700 in September.

Samsung Heavy Industries shed an additional 100 employees over the July-September period after implementing a voluntary retirement scheme in the second quarter.

Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering laid off about 500 employees in the first half of the year and cut 200 more workers, with its total workforce dropping to 12-thousand-500 in September.

Layoffs at the shipbuilders are expected to continue into the fourth quarter and through next year due to low demand amid the global economic slowdown.