John Witherow, editor of The Times, said the cost pressures facing the newspaper industry meant the titles needed to manage their newsrooms as carefully as possible.
"We need to stay competitive in an increasingly difficult market so that we can continue to build a sustainable future for Times journalism," he said in a statement on Friday.
The Departure for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said it would publish an invitation to comment later on Friday.
(Reporting by Paul Sandle)
