Up to 195 posts are to be lost at the biggest private employer in Brighton and Hove.

American Express is proposing to move office jobs back to Argentina and India.

The company is in talks with employees at its European headquarters in Edward Street, Brighton, to see which other roles those affected may be able to fill.

The firm employs 2,900 people in Brighton and 3,500 across the county including its office in Burgess Hill.

An Amex spokesman said Brighton remains an important part of its global network.

He said: “We are a global company and we are always looking at ways to use our network with more flexibility and efficiency.

“This means we sometimes have to move functions from one operation centre to another.

“For instance, we are building a new facility adjacent to our Edward Street offices and we recently completed the transfer of more than 150 jobs from our Madrid office to Brighton.

“No final decisions have been made. This remains a proposal which could impact on 195 jobs. "

Tony Mernagh, executive director at the Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership, said: “If once the dust has settled it means that some people have lost their jobs who did not want to then that is a personal disappointment.

“But in the grand scheme of things, I suspect that within American Express this is no more than an internal realignment.

“Given that the company is on the verge of completing a 335,000 square feet office development in the city, I think its commitment is pretty concrete.”

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