I wonder why?
Posted on 01/30/2009 12:28:18 PM PST by null and void
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- While a number of technology giants have been making public disclosures about job cuts in recent weeks, IBM Corp. has been quietly eliminating positions in a number of divisions including its storied research unit, according to an organization seeking recognition as a union with the company.
nearly 200 jobs have been cut from the research group, 1,200 from the systems technology group, over 300 from finance nearly 100 from human resources.
an IBM spokesman, said the company is not commenting on the number of job cuts underway or on which business units are affected.
Alliance@IBM believes IBM intends to move more of its research positions overseas to countries such as China and India.
In addition to the more recent job cuts, Alliance@IBM reported earlier this week that IBM had eliminated more than 2,800 jobs in its software and sales departments.
Earlier this week, Texas Instruments Inc. announced it was cutting 3,400 jobs, while Microsoft Corp. job cuts affect up to 5,000 employees, Eastman Kodak Co. will cut between 3,500 and 4,500 jobs.
(Excerpt) Read more at marketwatch.com ...
Why shouldn't they, the government will be there with a safety net.
I used to work for IBM. One of my friends was just given the “find another job in 30 days or you’re out” letter last Monday. Not a pleasant thing to receive at the best of times, but it’s going to be tough to find another job right now.
That said, I expect IBM to weather the recession better than many other companies, so I don’t see wholesale layoffs on the horizon just yet.
A friend of mine had to work for the past two weeks knowing four of his six groupmates were slated for elimination over in RTP. That had to hurt. IBM is filled with temps and H1-B’s now. I don’t see how they stay in business.
My friend, by the way, is wise. He has established multiple income streams, and isn’t depending on the malevolent attitudes of big business suits for his sole support.
I don’t know why, but as someone who has worked for a couple of large companies I get some grim satisfaction when HR people get laid off.
Could it be because the majority of them are Affirmative Action drones?
I wonder if they have their badge suddenly not work and then security escorts them to their desk to pack up their stuff.
Gee, it must suck to be on the wrong end of their own policies. /s
I wonder why?
I second that feeling.
HR = Human Remains
In either context...
;)
I third that feeling. Having been “surplused” from IBM in ‘95 and being treated as a “resource” and no longer a “person” by HR gives me reason. However, I am pulling for IBM as the retirement income is welcome.
Price Waterhouse Cooper (PWC) was bought out by IBM a while back. A whole group of them in Tampa were just informed that their jobs are going overseas and they would be terminated in 2 month.
This bloodletting will result in a self-fulfilling prophesy about the doom of this economy. Even though IBM is not saying how many and where, I hear from sources in RTP that it's not a happy time in not-so-big blue right now.
I also work with a lot of non-american's in my current job. There is constant speculation that more jobs will be moved off shore. The locals are getting uneasy, and the environment is not fun or friendly...
Hey! Watch what you're saying about those H1-Bs -- I was one of them, once upon a time :-).
I worked for IBM UK before transferring over many moons ago, and stayed on after getting my green card. In my experience the more recent H1-Bs tended to be employees of contracting companies hired by IBM looking to lower labor costs, but there were some excellent people amongst them too.
Nothing personal. I feel the same way about temps (in whose ranks I once stood): both are mechanisms for undercutting the American middle class.
/and, no, I don’t watch Lou Dobbs. I don’t have cable.
I've been thinking about this for quite a while. With the "global economy," it's practically impossible to keep one end of the bathtub full while the other is empty.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.