TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Nissan Motor Co. said Thursday it expects some 6 percent, or around 1,000, of its employees in the United States to retire early by the end of the year as the Japanese automaker proceeds with global restructuring efforts.

The struggling automaker had about 17,000 employees in the world's second-biggest auto market as of the end of March, according to a company filing.

Earlier this month, Nissan outlined a plan to cut 9,000 jobs worldwide, or about 7 percent of its entire workforce, as its net profit dropped 93.5 percent to 19.22 billion yen ($124 million) in the fiscal first half through September.

The profit plunge came as the automaker had to rely on hefty sales promotion costs to boost U.S. sales in a bid to reduce dealer inventory levels while facing stiff price competition in China.

The automaker has no hybrid model in its product lineup for the U.S. market, even as demand for gasoline-electric vehicles is growing there.