Obama & the Democrats can not fix this economy if this shit continues to happen. This should be the Democrats next priority.
IBM to Cut U.S. Jobs, Expand in India - WSJ.com
International Business Machines Corp. plans to lay off about 5,000 U.S. employees, with many of the jobs being transferred to India, according to people familiar with the situation.
The technology giant has been steadily building its work force in India and other locations while reducing the number of workers based in the U.S. Foreign workers accounted for 71% of Big Blue's nearly 400,000 employees at the start of the year, up from about 65% in 2006.
American IBM employees say in many cases, they have been training IBM workers from India to do work that will now be moved overseas.
In January, IBM sent layoff notices to about 4,600 people, including workers in its software unit and sales department.
Earlier this year, IBM also told employees that if they wanted to move to an emerging market, they could apply for jobs there with IBM, but they would be paid in local wages. A spokesman Wednesday said "dozens" of people have taken the offer, usually natives of those countries.
Outsourcing to India has long been a hot-button topic for IT employees in the U.S. As U.S. employers have shed millions of jobs in recent months, workers and politicians have stepped up their criticisms of the practice with little impact.
"When IBM workers see jobs being shifted offshore, it's like stabbing them in the back," said Lee Conrad, a former IBM worker who is an organizer for the Communication Workers of America, which is trying to unionize IBM.
Robert Kennedy, a University of Michigan business school professor, said unions and Democrats "would like to slow down offshoring, but it's almost impossible."
IBM employed 74,000 people in India in 2007, the latest figures available.
IBM's latest round of cuts show that even companies that have so far navigated the global recession profitably are continuing to slash costs. In January, IBM reported $4.42 billion in quarterly profit.
Among other companies that are profitable, Microsoft Corp. announced plans for 5,000 layoffs earlier this year and Hewlett-Packard Co. is cutting some 25,000 people in the wake of its acquisition of Electronic Data Systems Corp., a rival of IBM's services business.
IBM to Cut U.S. Jobs, Expand in India - WSJ.com
International Business Machines Corp. plans to lay off about 5,000 U.S. employees, with many of the jobs being transferred to India, according to people familiar with the situation.
The technology giant has been steadily building its work force in India and other locations while reducing the number of workers based in the U.S. Foreign workers accounted for 71% of Big Blue's nearly 400,000 employees at the start of the year, up from about 65% in 2006.
American IBM employees say in many cases, they have been training IBM workers from India to do work that will now be moved overseas.
In January, IBM sent layoff notices to about 4,600 people, including workers in its software unit and sales department.
Earlier this year, IBM also told employees that if they wanted to move to an emerging market, they could apply for jobs there with IBM, but they would be paid in local wages. A spokesman Wednesday said "dozens" of people have taken the offer, usually natives of those countries.
Outsourcing to India has long been a hot-button topic for IT employees in the U.S. As U.S. employers have shed millions of jobs in recent months, workers and politicians have stepped up their criticisms of the practice with little impact.
"When IBM workers see jobs being shifted offshore, it's like stabbing them in the back," said Lee Conrad, a former IBM worker who is an organizer for the Communication Workers of America, which is trying to unionize IBM.
Robert Kennedy, a University of Michigan business school professor, said unions and Democrats "would like to slow down offshoring, but it's almost impossible."
IBM employed 74,000 people in India in 2007, the latest figures available.
IBM's latest round of cuts show that even companies that have so far navigated the global recession profitably are continuing to slash costs. In January, IBM reported $4.42 billion in quarterly profit.
Among other companies that are profitable, Microsoft Corp. announced plans for 5,000 layoffs earlier this year and Hewlett-Packard Co. is cutting some 25,000 people in the wake of its acquisition of Electronic Data Systems Corp., a rival of IBM's services business.