Communications chipmaker Qorvo told employees last week that it plans to eliminate an unspecified number of jobs to improve the company's cost structure.

The company plans "a voluntary separation program" and "a targeted workforce reduction," according to Qorvo communications director Brent Dietz. Those wonky terms typically describe employee buyouts and layoffs, but Dietz did not respond to inquiries seeking specifics.

Qorvo's headquarters are in North Carolina, but it employs around 1,000 at a factory and administrative office in Hillsboro. Dietz said the cutbacks will apply there and at other Qorvo sites.

The Triad Business Journal first reported Qorvo's cost-cutting plans.

Qorvo makes communications chips used in the iPhone and other smartphones, as well as in defense, industrial and communications networking equipment. The company was established in 2015 by the combination of Hillsboro-based TriQuint Semiconductor and a rival in North Carolina, RF Micro Devices.

The pending cuts "are not in response to any particular event impacting our business," Dietz said in a written statement. "Improving our overall cost structure is a normal process and important to realizing Qorvo's full potential."

Qorvo did not specify when the cuts will take place, or how large they will be.

Qorvo reported $3.0 billion in revenue in its last fiscal year, which ended in April. That's up from $2.6 billion the prior year. The company lost $16.6 million in fiscal 2017, compared with a $28.8 million loss the prior year.

Qorvo's cuts represent the latest in a series of cutbacks at many of Washington County's largest employers:

Nike is in the process of laying off 745

SureID has laid off 376 since May

And

Oregon's job market remains strong overall, though growth has slowed considerably. The state's unemployment rate climbed to 4.1 percent in August. That's its highest point since January, but still near the lowest level on record.

-- Mike Rogoway; twitter: @rogoway; 503-294-7699