It said global demand for large turbines produced by its power and gas division had fallen dramatically.

Half of the jobs will be lost in Germany, while 1,100 will go in the rest of Europe and 1,800 in the US.

Siemens said it was confident there would be no compulsory redundancies in the UK.

It biggest British factory, which produces small and medium industrial turbines, is in Lincoln and employs 1,500 people.

A spokesperson for Siemens said the company could not confirm the number of jobs under threat in the UK at the moment, but it was "very limited" and would be managed over several years.

The spokesperson said Siemens was confident any job losses in the UK could be managed through voluntary redundancy or fluctuations in the workforce.

German unions have vowed to resist the cuts, which will hit the poorer eastern part of Germany the hardest.

The company's products range from trains to wind turbines to medical equipment.

It has already announced some 6,000 job cuts in its wind power unit, due to falling prices in major markets such as India and the US.