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Markel Corp. is laying off 80 people in its information technology department as the Henrico County-based company turns to an outside contractor for part of its IT work.

The layoffs — about 40 from the company’s headquarters in the Innsbrook Corporate Center — would mark the first time the specialty insurer has laid off a large number of employees in recent memory, if ever. The remaining affected positions are at locations elsewhere in the U.S. and London.

Employees were told of the layoffs and the switch in the information technology department Tuesday morning.

The layoffs will be phased in over a nine-month period, the company said.

The actual number of employees who will lose their jobs at the Fortune 500 company could be lower if the unnamed IT service provider hires some of Markel’s employees or if laid-off employees are able to find positions elsewhere in the company, Markel said. “We are committed to working with our employees during this transition period over the next nine months,” Markel spokeswoman Jennifer Blackwell said.

The affected employees will be eligible for outplacement services and severance pay, the company said.