IBM to Move Software Jobs to India, China

[trogdor]

ARMONK, N.Y. - IBM Corp. plans to move up to several thousand skilled software jobs from the United States to India, China and other countries, which could amount to one of the biggest such actions yet in the technology industry.

IBM documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal said about 4,700 programming jobs could be shifted overseas to save costs, a growing high-tech industry trend known as "offshoring."

More than 900 people are already scheduled to be told of the move in the first half of 2004, while another 3,700 jobs have been identified as having the "potential to move offshore," the Journal said. IBM already has hired 500 engineers in India to take on some of the work that will be moved, the Journal reported.

The division affected is IBM's Application Management Services group, part of Big Blue's huge technology services division. The IBM facilities where workers could be replaced include offices in Dallas, Southbury, Conn., Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Raleigh, N.C., and Boulder, Colo.

<a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=528&e=1&u=/ap/20031215/ap_on_hi_te/ibm_offshoring"> LINK </a>

[PROGRESSIVE1]

1. Wow look how good IBM is doing! O.K. then I guess we DUers...

must concede next years election to the Fuhrer. After all if the the big corporations are doing well then the economy must be great after all.


(satire)

[trogdor]

6. Really!

Somebody needs to speak up about this. These aren't McJobs we're talking about. These require four years of college - with serious MATH requirements at that.

I read somewhere that programmers in India make average $8 - 10K/yr. You can hire two Wal*Mart greeters in the USA for that. Somebody needs to ask the Republicans why American white collar workers should have to compete with their counterparts in the Third World.

Oh, I know what they'll say. Eventually Indian wages will rise, and everything will be hunky-dory. Sure. Remember the 80's, when "Made in Japan" was practically a swear word? Guess what - most of those Japanese-name electronic gizmos are now made in China. Or Singapore. Or Thailand. Or Vietnam. Or some other nasty place where workers can be hired for two bits an hour. Just take a peek at the back of your Sony TV. You paid extra for the name; too bad the Japanese workers who made your Dad's Trinitron didn't make yours. So it will be in India when wages rise to the point where Cambodian programmers become competitive. It's a race to the bottom, except this time it's middle-class Americans who are getting hosed.

[BigBigBear]

2. I work at the Boulder facility

I know people in that group. This is bad stuff.

[Zero Gravitas]

3. Gov't contracts/tax breaks

How many Gov't contracts and/or tax breaks does IBM get? If they have any they should loose them the instant they start exporting jobs. After all they must "hate America" as they are doing their bit to destroy the American Middle class and there is no reason why they should be sucking at the public teat while at the same time they are underminding the country.

[alarimer]

4. no loyalty

No corporation has any loyalty to the US at all. I think their charter should be revoked for this.

[trogdor]

7. I agree. Corporate welfare for 100% US companies only.

That would be a good first step. Notice the EU doesn't play this game (as much).

[alarimer]

5. no loyalty

No corporation has any loyalty to the US at all. I think their charter should be revoked for this.

[bleedingheart]

9. The US Government is also bringing in foreign workers

I can't say where I did some consulting work but I went to a place where only one worker out of approximately 10 was a naturalized American.

The rest were here on H1B visas.

I have worked with a lot of foreign workers over the past 6 years and they are no dumber or smarter than americans...they just work cheaper.. the walmart economy at its best.

[ramapo]

11. That's become the norm

I've been wondering where all the Americans went. The American worker is becoming the exception. It is truly astounding...

[dawn]

8. I hate IBM products. Now I know why!

As a former member of an IT department in which many of the jobs were outsourced to India, this news continually hits home.

[newyawker99]

10. Hi dawn!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[kybob]

12. GOOD!!! SCREW THEM!!!

while we blue-collars have suffered cut backs and jobs going over seas. the white collar stooges, smirked, and give phony sorries.

now let them suffer, maybe if they are lucky they can get a job at Mega-mart greeting the lucky ones!!!

and i'm just being nice because of the Season!!!

[trogdor]

13. Screw them?

Does that include the 35 year old veteran who had to go back to school because the Army didn't teach him shit? Screw him too? Methinks thou generalizeth too much.

[kybob]

14. ALL OF YA'S

56 years old trying to catch up!!! never happen pal, our way of life is going to the third world, South west Asia, to be exact. how come none are going to Africa??? they could use the jobs too. blue collars here have been sucked dry, and thrown away, now its your turn pal!!! hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah

[Cronus Protagonist]

15. Didn't Clark say he supported this kind of jobs transfer?

Can't remember the actual quote. Does anyone have it?

FUCK BUSH Buttons, Stickers & Magnets

[ramapo]

16. Unfortunately this is what he said

Clark said during the debate, "Let India have the programming jobs". We'll have the better jobs here.

I think that was a terrible statement. Programming jobs are pretty good jobs. We haven't reached the point of commodity programmers working for Wal-Mart wages.