Kaja Whitehouse, and Edward Baig

USA TODAY

NEW YORK — Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam, who was hired last year to revive the struggling bank, has asked the company's board to slash his bonus by a "significant" amount.

The request comes just days after the Swiss banking giant said it would cut 4,000 jobs following a mammoth $5.3 billion loss in the fourth quarter — its first loss in eight years.

Credit Suisse announces 4,000 job cuts

Thiam, who took the top job at Credit Suisse in July, first made the comments about his bonus in a weekend interview with Sonntagszeitung, a newspaper in Switzerland.

"I have asked the Board of Directors for a significant reduction in my bonus," Thiam told the newspaper, according to a translated version of the comments provided by Credit Suisse.

"Within the management team, the cut is greatest in my case. I cannot demand sacrifices from others and not make any myself," Thiam said, referring to plans to reduce staff and pay expenses, announced last week.

Credit Suisse spokeswoman Alexandra Bini declined to comment on the extent of the CEO's pay cut, saying only that the bank's compensation report will be published on March 24th.

Last week, Credit Suisse announced layoffs when it reported that its fourth-quarter earnings were hit — to the tune of 3.8 billion Swiss franc, or $3.78 billion — tied to its purchase of U.S. investment bank Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette for $11.5 billion in 2000.

Thiam also attributed the bank’s poor performance to economic factors including sharply falling oil prices, diverging monetary policies by global central banks, a strong Swiss franc and the slowing economy in China.

JPMorgan CEO gets 35% pay raise to $27M amid cutbacks

U.S. bank CEOs, by contrast, are seeing very little reduction in pay, if any, despite difficulties growing revenue.

• JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon was paid $27 million in 2015, up from $20 million the year before, the company said last month. The bank reported record annual profits last year, thanks to aggressive cost-cutting that helped to offset stagnating revenue growth.

• Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman is slated to receive $21 million in total compensation, down just $1.5 million from 2014. The bank The bank reported revenue of $7.7 billion, down from $7.8 billion a year ago as it struggled with losses in fixed-income trading and debt underwriting.

In October, Thiam outlined a plan for the bank's future that included a whittling down of its investment banking business and a renewed focus on wealth management. On Thursday, however, the bank said it would accelerate its cost-cutting efforts due to the challenging earnings environment.

Credit Suisse's U.S.-listed shares were down 3.60% in early trading Monday to $14.44 a share.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Kaja Whitehouse on Twitter: @kajawhitehouse