HOUSTON – Oil giant BP said it will lay off employees from its Houston office complex on I-10.

BP employs more than 83,000 workers worldwide. In the United States, the majority of its employees work in Houston - about 6,000.

BP hasn't said how many jobs are being cut, but said some employees were notified this week.

BP is attributing the layoffs to the falling price of oil, and the company says more job cuts are expected in the coming weeks.

The announcement does not come as a surprise. BP warned of impending cuts last month.

Falling gas prices have been apparent for some time now. Prices that were well over $3 a gallon a year ago, are now half that.

"It's great at the pump," said Matthew Evers, who works in the oil and gas industry. "But at the end of the day, if you're in the oil and gas business, there's a greater chance that you will possibly be let go. As far as jobs around here, it kind of puts people on edge."

Local 2 has also learned that employees fortunate enough to keep their jobs at BP have been told that there will be no raises this year.

Houston-based oil companies Schlumberger, Halliburton and Baker-Hughes have also recently laid off workers.

According to Bloomberg, the combined number of layoffs has reached 17,000 so far.