More Layoffs at IBM

Many of you may recall our earlier coverage of the job cuts that are going on at IBM. For those of you who do not recall, or did not catch, our coverage of the initial cuts here is a look at what you missed out on before we talk about the worsening situation:

“Grim news is coming out IBM. The company has recently laid off between 1,000 and 1,200 depending on whose estimates you believe. According to data released by the IBM Employee s Union CWA Local 1701, since Feb. 27, the company has laid off least 1,202 IBM workers. When you consider how short of a span that is the number are truly startling.

According to information that was given out by the Alliance@IBM, an organization for the workers of IBM, the cuts to the staff of IBM include the following positions:

•          GTS Public Sector Delivery/IBM Global Account: 59
•          GTS Delivery Application Hosting: 183
•          Corporate Marketing and Communications: 18
•          STG Systems Agenda Delivery: 106
•          GTS finance: 23
•          GTS Delivery Security Risk Management: 39
•          BT/IT Global Workforce Web Processes: 22
•          Software Group East Region Sales: 40
•          GTS MTS Delivery solutions/support: 23
•          GTS Delivery SSO: 57
•          GTS ITS: 128
•          GTS Delivery Distributed Server Mgmt.: 179
•          AMS Commercial Delivery: 118
•          GBS Consulting Services Industrial Sector: 25
•          BT/IT Application & Infrastructure service Mgmt.: 78
•          ISC Global Procurement: 50
•          GBS Application Innovation Services: 54

So where does this leave IBM for staff? Well the company stopped providing official headcounts to the public a few years back, but according to the information that is available staffing at big blue has looked like this over the past few years, at least for U.S.-based IBM employees:

•          2011: 98,000
•         2010: 101,000
•          2009: 105,000
•          2008: 115,000
•          2007: 121,000
•          2006: 127,000
•          2005: 133,789

So, as you can see this is really more of a flux than a long-standing downward trend. Some people might even venture to say that they have been weathering the longstanding economic problems better than many other technology companies out there. Still, the workers of IBM should not be complacent about the stability of their positions. “

Well according to new data the newest number of layoffs are growing higher and higher. The newest number, less than two months since our earlier coverage, shows that the number is more like 1,790 workers.  Yes, that is an increase of more than 500 more jobs down the drain.

The worst part is that the numbers may go up again when all of the data is in. The workers union is still in the process of collecting data about the job cuts.  So by the time all is said and done, the layoffs are complete and all of the data has been gathered the number of workers who are let go may actually be much higher than what we even know right now. Only time will tell.