Emirates and Etihad Airways are reviewing their workforces as overcapacity and a stronger dollar put pressure on earnings. The cutbacks show how the Gulf airlines' rapid expansion in the past few years is slowing against a more challenging economic backdrop. Emirates has offered redundancies to staff working in accounting, finance, IT and other departments in its head office, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Etihad said on Sunday it was cutting jobs, mostly through natural attrition. Emirates and Etihad employ over 103,000 and 26,000 staff, respectively, according to their websites. While lower oil prices have cut operating costs for the carriers, demand for high-margin premium cabins has softened as Middle East travel budgets tightened. East to West traffic, an important route for Gulf carriers, has also diminished after a wave of militant attacks in Europe and Turkey over the past year. (Reuters)