[quote=UCGal]I’ve heard that they won’t do a straight layoff because they’d have to let the cheap labor go first (H1B visa folks). They don’t want to do that. So they’re going to reorg in a musical chairs fashion, and if you don’t have a job when the music stops, you’re out.
H1B visa’s are to hire “skilled workers” who can’t be found among current residents. In theory, you have a hard time justifying hiring H1B folks if you’re laying off citizens and permanent residents with the same job title.
As someone who works for an employer that hires a LOT of H1B visa programmers and is outsourcing to India like crazy, I see the logic to Microsoft’s plan – if this is true. My work group is currently about 25% H1B visa status employees.
So, rather than do a full layoff – they’ll force the issue with reorgs. Cheaper labor in-house candidates will be grabbed up in the re-orgs. More expensive engineers/programmers will be looking around when the music stops.
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It’s not just microsoft. All big companies are doing that these days. Actually, the bulk of the position eliminations are in the middle management who are no longer hands-on.
Being hands-on appears to be still more or less employable (as long as you don’t have some ancient skillset like fortran).
The other thing (like what yahoo do). Is they are simultaneously eliminating some positions while hiring for others….
My friends just got offers from both microsoft and yahoo, even the latter just did some layoffs and the former supposedly will be doing it.
Personally, I wouldn’t go to either these days. Both seem like sinking ships, one which is the titanic (yahoo), and the other one microsoft is more like a slow leak. But then again when you’re looking for a job these days, beggars can’t be choosers.
Outsourcing is overrated. Normally, I haven’t seen work that I personally would like to do that is outsourced (yet). Insourcing is a completely different thing, which in these days make a lot more sense.
