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Johnson & Johnson, the healthcare conglomerate based in New Brunswick, announced Tuesday it will cut 3,000 jobs.

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NEW BRUNSWICK -- Johnson & Johnson announced Tuesday it would cut more than 3,000 jobs over the next two years as it restructures its medical-devices division.

The eliminated positions represent up to 6 percent of jobs in its medical-devices businesses, according to the New Jersey-based healthcare conglomerate.

Johnson & Johnson said in a statement that the restructuring reflects the "changing needs of the global medical device market."

The reduction of more than 2 percent of its global workforce is expected to reduce costs by $800 million to $1 billion by the end of 2018. It will focus on its orthopedics, surgery and cardiovascular businesses.

Johnson & Johnson said its consumer medical devices businesses, vision care and diabetes care will not be affected by the cuts.

Sales in the company's medical devices have been down almost 3 percent worldwide over the last nine months, according to the Wall Street Journal. J&J expects a fourth-quarter change of roughly $600 million due to the restructuring.

The company's stocks were up in early Tuesday trading on Wall Street.

Craig McCarthy may be reached at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig. Find NJ.com on Facebook.