Hewlett-Packard, the US technology company which employs some 1,550 people in Ireland, has warned that its third-quarter earnings will probably drop to below analysts' revised forecasts. The company blamed continued weakness in Asia and new signs of economic uncertainty in other regions.

A spokesman for the company in Dublin said the profits warning would have no effect on Hewlett-Packard's current workforce, but could slow down its hiring programme. Tomorrow, the company will open another phase of its £400 million Irish investment, a new print-head manufacturing operation at its base in Leixlip, Co Kildare.