Today’s Hot Layoff Topics

• Oracle layoff news
  
  • Oracle layoff discussion thread [updated daily, (Hot)]

• Cisco layoff news
  • Rumor: Cisco Systems to lay off IT contractors [updated daily, (Hot) discussion thread]
  • [Update 02-25-2009] Rumor: “1800 More just got laid off at Cisco”; Layoff in progress at San Jose, CA, Austin, TX

• Apple layoff news
  • Sources confirm Apple laid off salespeople last week [discussion thread]
  • Rumor: Layoffs finally came to Apple? [discussion thread, poll]

• Microsoft layoff news
  • Microsoft layoffs today [2-10-2009 update: Next layoff round: 872 in March]
    
  • [2-23-2009 update:] Microsoft: Laid-off can keep extra pay after all
• H1B layoff news
  • U.S. announces arrests in several states alleging H1B visa fraud [Discussion thread]
  • Indian Firms, Microsoft Top H-1B List [Discussion thread]
• IBM layoff news, discussion
  • Mass Layoffs at IBM in January 2009 [1-26-2009 update: More possible layoffs reported]
  • (New) [Update 03-25-2009] IBM to Cut 5,000 U.S. Jobs, Shifting Work to India, [ discussion ]

• Texas Instruments Layoff news [updated 1-26-2009]

• LPL Financial Layoff news [updated 1-29-2009], discussion thread
  

• California Mass Layoffs [update: 2-19-2009: news, comments, discussion thread]

• AIG; Bonuses, Bail-out Money (New), (WTF)
  • Bailed-out AIG Pays Out Hundreds of Millions Billions in Bonuses

• Kaiser Permanente Layoffs (New)

Tags: Oracle | IBM | Microsoft | Cisco | AIG | Apple | H1B

Cisco Systems: possible large jobs cut in 2009

According to CNNMoney: “The global economic downturn will continue to hammer computer networking giant Cisco Systems Inc., chief executive John Chambers said Wednesday.

In its current quarter, Cisco expects to see revenue decline between 15% and 20%, he said in a conference call with analysts.”

“We are not going to consider (layoffs) at this time,” chief executive John Chambers said. But he added, that if Cisco was forced to cut jobs, it would likely be a large cut of about 10% of its workforce.

• Cisco employed 67,318 workers worldwide at the end of the second quarter.

US senator asks Microsoft about job cuts, H1B visas

According to Reuters: “A U.S. senator has asked Microsoft Corp about its plans to slash up to 5,000 jobs, urging the world’s biggest software company to preserve the jobs of Americans ahead of foreigners working on visas.”

“The letter asked Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer to provide a breakdown of the jobs to be eliminated, and how many of those are individuals with H-1B visas and how many are Americans. Grassley also wants to know what the breakdown will be when the layoffs are complete.”

“I am concerned that Microsoft will be retaining foreign guest workers rather than similarly qualified American employees when it implements its layoff plan […] Microsoft has a moral obligation to protect these American workers by putting them first during these difficult economic times”, said Sen. Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican.

EMC Will Reduce Work Force by 7 percent

Data-storage firm EMC Corp. (NYSE:EMC) will cut 2,400 positions (7% of its work force) as part of an effort to reduce costs by about $350 million in 2009 and $500 million in 2010.
The restructuring plan will streamline costs to its information infrastructure business and doesn’t include VMware Inc. VMware’s parent company, EMC, owns 85% of the company’s stock, according to WSJ

By rumors, the most job cuts are planned in the company’s IT sector

Motorola to lay off 3,000 as part of $800M in cuts for 2009

According to Computerworld: “Motorola Inc. officials confirmed that $800 million in cuts planned for 2009 will require laying off about 3,000 workers, with a little more than two-thirds of those job cuts coming from the handset division.

About 3,000 layoffs will be made globally “across all businesses and functions” with a “little over two-thirds of these layoffs in the handset division,” a spokeswoman said in an e-mail.”

• Layoffs primarily to come from handset division
• Motorola had 66,000 employees at the end of 2007

AMD reports more job cuts, higher restructuring costs

According to BizJournals: “AMD said in a regulatory filing on Monday that it cut about 100 more jobs than it originally targeted, resulting in higher than expected restructuring costs in the fourth quarter.

The Sunnyvale chip maker (NYSE:AMD) said it reduced its work force by 600 and will see $70 million in costs related to that move, instead of the 500-worker cut with $50 million in costs originally announced in November.”

AMD also said it isn’t through, saying in the filing that “further cost reduction actions will result in additional charges in the first half of fiscal 2009, which the company cannot estimate at this time”, according to New Mexico Business Weekly

Update: So the rumor we published earlier regarding possible additional layoffs at AMD is confirmed.

(Rumor) Oracle: Major layoffs are to come in January 2009

According to rumors from different sources: “There were several layoffs reported between November – December, 2008 in Oracle’s North America consulting unit. The reduction in force included 140 IT consultants specializing in Siebel, E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft, J.D. Edwards, and Hyperion products.”

Rumor: “A bunch of people were laid off from Oracle’s business units including utility and retail. Major layoffs are to come in Jan 2009”.

Rumor: “at least 2 people were laid off from PeopleSoft/Oracle unit with no warning.”

Rumor: “20% of the Education staff was let go”.

Update: According to Dow Jones and CNNMoney: “Oracle Corp.’s (NASDAQ: ORCL) fiscal second-quarter net income fell slightly, with the stronger dollar dragging on revenue and profitability.
Revenue for the quarter was lower than Wall Street expected, reflecting both the currency impact and weaker information-technology expenditure, but cost control and a strong flow of maintenance support revenue helped Oracle hit its quarterly earnings per share guidance.”

Update 2 (1-09-2009): According to rumors:

• SAP layoffs: “A source reports that SAP is making some deep cuts in SAP’s Strategic Growth Enterprise (SGE) unit (focused on the SMB space). A 300 sales-related positions were affected in North America.”
• Infor layoffs: A source reports that “Infor just laid off a staggering 85% of their senior managers and executives across UK and Europe.”

Update 3 (1-11-2009):

• India’s Oracle office in Bangalore lays off 40 people, according to The Time of India.
• Oracle India has an extensive network of more than 400 channel and alliance partners in India, which includes Infosys, Satyam, Sonata, Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro.

Update 4 (1-12-2009):

• Reports said that after the acquisition of i-Flex, Oracle was planning to lay off almost all employees of that company, though the decision was scrapped after intervention of Oracle’s management, as the layoff of all i-Flex employees could project a failure of the acquisition, according to rumor

Update 5 (1-13-2009):

• An anonymous report suggests that termination packages were sent out to folks on 1/9/2009 in the US.
• PCWorld mentioned LayoffBlog.com in their Oracle layoff-related article.
• ComputerWorld also mentioned LayoffBlog.com.

Update 6 (1-13-2009):

• Oracle cut around 500 positions in its North American sales and consulting businesses last Friday (January 9, 2009), according to WSJ and other sources.
• Investors had anticipated a larger scale of the job cuts thanks to the rumors last week that the company was aiming to eliminate thousands of its employees, according to Yahoo Finance
• Oracle  employed 86,657 globally at the end of November.

~ LayOffBlog.com: Please feel free to comment this info and/or send us your updates regarding Oracle layoffs. ~

India: Mass IT Layoffs in December 2008

According to LayOffBlog.com information from different sources:

Mastek Ltd (Mumbai, India): 200 positions lost  (75% in recruitments);

Zapak (Mumbai, India): 45 positions (about 25% of total workforce);

Tanla Software Solutions (Hyderabad, India): 200 IT consultant, PM positions (about 50% of total workforce);

Wipro Technologies (Bangalore, India): 1400 IT consultants will be affected;

JBA Infotech Pvt Ltd (Bangalore, India): to cut 75 IT consultant positions;

Gupta Equities Pvt Ltd (Bangalore, India): 50 IT and Sales employees will be affected;

HP-STSD (Bangalore, India): 350 management positions will be eliminated;

Infor Global Solutions (Bangalore, India): 60 full-time positions (IT, mid-level management) will be cut.

~ LayOffBlog.com:  Please feel free to comment this info or send us your updates. ~

Gaia Online has laid off 36 employees

According to Techcrunch: “Gaia Online, a social network/virtual world hybrid that includes one of the web’s most popular forums, has laid off 36 employees, or around 13% of its staff. Of those laid off, 16 were full time and 20 were contractors.“

Rumor: Cisco Systems to lay off IT contractors

According to rumors from insider sources*, Cisco Systems to cancel several internal projects (including Web 2.0 and R&D projects), laying off IT contractors, most of them are H1B visa workers. Cisco IT contractors are not actual Cisco employees, they are working through ‘vendor’ companies (also known as ‘body shops’). But the layoffs are real. Most likely these layoffs will not be listed in the Company layoff statistics.

Update (02-04-2009): Cisco Systems: Possible large (up to 10 percent) jobs cut in 2009

Update (02-24-2009): Rumor: “1800 More just got laid off at Cisco”, Austin, TX

Update (02-25-2009): Cisco Confirms Global Job Cuts

Update (03-12-2009): Cisco quietly downsizing through outsourcing

*WARNING: We cannot guarantee the accuracy of information as it is only an individuals point of view. We will investigate and/or omit any complaints of inaccuracy.

Rumor: H1B Layoff at Navis (a Zebra Technologies Company)

Rumor (according to insider info): “A Zebra Technologies Company to close their project called Navis, laying off software engineers, including H1B-visa holders. Severance package: 3 month”.

Submitted update  from one of our readers Christine: “Zebra Technologies, Vernon Hills, IL eliminates much of industry marketing department and several other positions in US and Europe. Including staff at RFID businesses as well as core barcode scanner businesses. Cost cutting to make the budgets and projects for the year likely to continue…”