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

Microsoft slashes contract worker rates by 10 pct

According to AP, CNBC: “Microsoft Corp. is slashing overtime, hours and pay for U.S. temporary workers as part of an overall push to curb expenses during the recession.

Microsoft will cut what it pays the staffing agencies by 10 percent for current projects and won’t raise the rate it pays for temporary workers who return after a mandatory annual 100-day break. The company also plans to reduce overtime and the total number of hours clocked by temporary workers.”

~News submitted by upthecreek

Microsoft: Laid-off can keep extra pay after all

According to AP: “A few weeks after launching the first wide-scale layoffs in its history, Microsoft Corp. admits it screwed up a key part of the plan.

First Microsoft realized that an administrative glitch caused it to pay more severance than intended to some laid-off employees. The company’s response: It asked the ex-workers for the money back.

But when one of Microsoft’s letters seeking repayment surfaced on the Web on Saturday, the situation turned embarrassing. On Monday, the company reversed course and said the laid-off workers could keep the extra payouts.”

Microsoft Asks Laid-off Workers to Return Overpaid Severance

Microsoft is asking some of the workers it laid off in late January to pay back money they were given in excess of their severance packages. The Redmond-based company is blaming an accounting error and expects repayments within two weeks.

After making 1400 staff redundant, Microsoft reportedly overpaid some of those former employees and underpaid others at the same time. Those who were overpaid were reportedly sent letters requesting for a refund.

Source: PC World

Next round of Microsoft layoffs: 872 in March.

According to the Washington State WARN filings, Microsoft is going to lay off 872 employees at Redmond starting March 23rd.

The company earlier announced cutting 5000 jobs within 18 month from January 2009.

Microsoft hiring continues despite layoffs

Even as Microsoft lays off up to 5,000 employees from some positions over the next 18 months, it says it plans to hire an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 people in others. Although it needs to cut back on expenses overall, the company says it will keep hiring to support its business strategy in key areas.

Microsoft will “continue to hire in most of the areas it has been investing in, areas such as online services, search and cloud computing, to name a few,” a company representative said in a statement this week.

Source: MSNBC

Microsoft to Layoff Some H-1B Holders

In wake of impending layoffs, Microsoft has released a preliminary response to a U.S. Senator who wants the software giant to cut non-citizens first.

Microsoft’s answer states that it will indeed layoff a significant number of H-1B temporary work visa holders but that their visiting worker status will not be the primary criterion when it comes to deciding who will stay and who will go.

Microsoft officials said they will respond to Senator Grassley’s request for a direct response. However, while the company’s initial response is polite, it doesn’t say it will meet Grassley’s request.

Source: internetnews.com

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.

Microsoft Makes Big Cuts At Flight Simulator Studio

Redmond, Washington-based ACES Studio, the Microsoft-owned internal group behind the venerable Microsoft Flight Simulator series, has been heavily affected by Microsoft’s ongoing job cuts.

A large portion of the dev house’s staff has been let go – with multiple reports indicating that the entire Flight Simulator team has been axed.

Update: Microsoft has confirmed the closure of ACES Studio. Former ACES developer Phil Taylor claims in a blog post that six employees were retained to fulfill contractual duties, and Flight Simulator may continue to exist as a franchise in some other form.

Source: Gamasutra

Microsoft expected to cut jobs as profit weakens

According to Reuters: “Microsoft Corp is expected to post a quarterly profit that misses its own target and announce thousands of job cuts this week as the global economic slump hurts even the technology industry’s biggest players.”

“Checks indicate that Microsoft is likely to engage in headcount reductions to the tune of 6,000 to 8,000 employees or 6 percent to 8 percent of its 95,000 workforce, ” said McAdams Wright Ragen analyst Sid Parakh. Other analysts suggest the cost reductions may occur in the next few weeks and could also include more targeted cutbacks and attrition, rather than the big number of layoffs that some have speculated.

• Microsoft has declined to comment on any likelihood of job cuts.

Microsoft Layoffs today?

It was reported earlier that today is the day when layoffs at Microsoft are to begin.

~LayoffBl0g.com: Please share your story if you or someone you know was laid off at Microsoft.~

Update 1 (1-15-2009): Microsoft Corp is considering significant layoffs across its various divisions, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. A Microsoft spokesman declined to comment on layoff rumors, according to Reuters

Update (1-21-2009): Microsoft expected to cut jobs as profit weakens

Update 2 (1-22-2009): Microsoft slashes up to 5,000 jobs

Update 3 (1-23-2009): Microsoft has shutdown the ACES game studio (Microsoft Flight Simulator) and axed the entire staff

Update 4 (1-25-2009): US senator asks Microsoft about job cuts, H1B visas

Update 5 (1-28-2009): Microsoft to layoff some H1B visa holders

Update 6 (2-3-2009): Microsoft hiring continues despite layoffs

Microsoft Readies Cuts; Though Big Layoffs Unlikely

According to NBCBayArea: “Microsoft will embark on a significant cost-cutting initiative in 2009, which might begin as early as this month, to offset a global slowdown in sales. However, sources tell Jim Goldman of CNBC, the cuts will largely be handled through attrition and the non-renewal of contract employees, rather than through a rumored, sweeping layoff.”

“Rumors of a broad workforce reduction at the world’s largest software maker have been swirling since a blog post last week purported to show that Microsoft was preparing to lay off as many as 15,000 employees, or 17 percent of its workforce. A Microsoft source tells Goldman that the speculation is “grossly exaggerated,” but added that “any company not paying careful attention to headcount in a climate like this is nuts.” Calls and emails to Microsoft Saturday morning were not immediately returned.”

Microsoft asked to lay off over 9,000 employees

According to Yahoo News, India: “The world’s top software firm Microsoft has been asked to cut its workforce by 10%, or about 9,100 employees, to tell the market that profits are more important than revenue growth in difficult times.”
“Earlier in October, Microsoft had put in place a hiring freeze on some of its divisions, such as entertainment and devices businesses that make products like X-Box and Zune.”

• The software giant had close to 91,000 employees on its payrolls at the end of July-September quarter.
• Microsoft is scheduled to release its second-quarter results for the fiscal year 2008-09 on January 22.
• Brokerage firm Oppenheimer and Co’s analyst Brad Reback has said in a report on Microsoft that such layoff exercise “would be a healthy move for the company.“

Rumor: Microsoft to layoff 15,000 employees in January 2009

According to rumors from different sources: “The rumor that Microsoft was set to lay off people in January 15th 2009 is no longer a rumor but a fact. Staff at Microsoft has been informed that the company is readying major layoffs to its worldwide operations and it’s not a small cut either.”

“So far we haven’t managed to confirm what departments or regions which will be hit the worst, but we’re hearing that MSN might be carrying the brunt of the layoffs. We’re also hearing rumors about the possibility of somewhat larger staff cuts at Microsoft EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa).”

“It’s unlikely that Microsoft will be laying off a lot of people in departments and regions that are doing well and considering the recent upturn in console sales, we have a feeling that at least most of the people working in the Xbox 360 departments will be pretty safe.”

“The layoffs will take place a week before Microsoft’s Q2 earnings report which takes place on the 22nd of January 2009 and it doesn’t seem like the date set for the layoffs is coincidental.”

• “Currently Microsoft employs about 90,000 people across the world and from what we’re hearing, some 15,000 of those are expected to be giving marching orders come January 15th. That’s almost 17 percent of Microsoft’s total work force, not exactly a small number.”

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

Microsoft Layoff Rumors

Mini-Microsoft writes: “Rumors. Microsoft layoff and cut-backs and Reduction In Force rumors. That’s all I have for you. Rumors and second-hand speculation and the comments left by the fine, good-looking folks who participate in the conversation here. So pour yourself some holiday cheer and dive in.

What have those fine folks been sharing over the past couple of posts here? Bad news on the rise and with perhaps January 15th 2009 as an interesting day for Microsoft news. Bad news. 15 Jan is a week before FY09Q2 quarterly results and it’s better to share as much news, good and bad, before the results are released vs. surprising Wall Street”.