Thomson Reuters Corp. said Thursday that it plans to hire a technology services company to manage many of its information technology services, a move that could affect workers at its operations in Eagan.

The company said most affected technology workers will transition to the tech services firm, a common business practice, though companies often use such a change to reduce staff and lower other costs.

“The company has not eliminated any positions or issued any employee notifications related to this announcement at this time,” Thomson Reuters spokesman John Shaughnessy said in a statement. “We felt it was important to share the news of our decision with employees as soon as we were able."

He said the company is “routinely looking at ways to run our global business operations more efficiently and effectively.”

The third-party IT vendor will be selected in the fourth quarter.

In January, Thomson Reuters laid off 184 people at its offices in Eagan — part of an overall, cost-cutting move announced by the firm last fall. In October, the company said it would cut 3,000 jobs worldwide, about 5 percent of its global workforce. The company never quantified how many people in the Twin Cities would lose their jobs.

A spokeswoman for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development said the agency has not received a notice detailing any layoff.

Thomson Reuters employs about 6,700 people in Eagan.

JANET MOORE