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Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. says it shed nearly 400 jobs — roughly five per cent of its workforce — in the past two years, but not by issuing layoffs.

The country’s biggest heavy oil producer, which claims it hasn’t laid anyone off due to theeconomic downturn, says it scaled back its workforce through attrition.

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The company was not alone, with a human resources group noting scores of oilpatch jobs left vacant by retirements have not been filled “to reduce costs and create a leaner workforce.”

“Unlike previous years where those retirements would be automatically replaced, that’s not necessarily the case going forward,” said Carol Howes, a vice-president at Enform.

As oil prices started crashing after the summer of 2014, Canadian Natural Resources (CNRL) imposed a hiring freeze for non-essential personnel. It meant hundreds of positions were left vacant as employees retired or moved on for other jobs.