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Microsoft looks to hire 1,000 new employees in China

Microsoft will go on a hiring spree in China, the company's chief in that country said today.

Speaking to reporters, Microsoft's Greater China chief, Ralph Haupter, said his company plans to hire 1,000 new workers in China across research and development; marketing and services; and sales. Microsoft currently employs about 4,500 people across China.

Reuters, which was in attendance at the announcement, was first to report the news.

China has become a key component in nearly every technology company's plans for the coming years. And why not? The country's consumer market is booming as … Read more

CES: Epson unveils two do-it-all printers for small business market

LAS VEGAS--At CES 2011, Epson adds two new all-in-one devices to its WorkForce line of multifunction printers. The WorkForce 840 and the WorkForce 60 are aimed directly at the consumer with a small business at home who needs a device to handle high-output printing, scanning, and fax functions.

First up is the Epson WorkForce 840. Carrying design details over from previous models like the WorkForce 610, the 840 has an impressive 7.8-inch touch-panel display, a two-sided 30-page auto-document feeder for scanning large stacks of paper, a built-in memory card reader on the front with USB-key support, and a 500-sheet … Read more

Survey: No need to be in the office to work

"Honey, I'm going to the office," is a remark we may not hear as much if more people have their way.

Three out of five workers around the world said they don't need to be in the office to be productive, according to a study out yesterday from Cisco. The "Cisco Connected World Report" collected the results of two surveys that questioned both IT and non-IT professionals about mobile work habits.

The belief that people can work just fine from home or on the road was especially pervasive in Asia and Latin America. Around … Read more

Foreign companies increasing jobs in U.S., Europe

Companies in growing markets like China and India are adding more jobs in North America and Europe, a shift from the usual hiring patterns, says a new study from IBM.

Out today, IBM's new "Working Beyond Borders" study found that growth in jobs is now moving two ways--from emerging economies tapping into more mature markets as well as the more traditional reverse pattern.

The reason for the trend? As more companies expand globally, they're hiring people with the creativity, flexibility, and speed needed to help their expansion, prompting them to increase their staffing in North America, … Read more

IBM job cuts hit applications services unit, says union

IBM issued 1,674 layoff notices to U.S. employees in its applications services business on Thursday, as part of a larger round of anticipated cuts to its Global Business Services unit, according to a national representative of Alliance@IBM, an affiliate of the Communication Workers of America, which is seeking to unionize IBM.

The applications services business is one of several areas in IBM's Global Business Services unit, a massive consulting arm that last year generated $19.6 billion in revenue for Big Blue. The Global Business Services unit also posted a 9 percent increase in its revenue. … Read more

Report: IBM to cut jobs in services unit

With the recession continuing its hold on the economy, IBM is reportedly preparing for another round of layoffs, according to a report Wednesday in The Wall Street Journal.

The cuts are expected to affect a large swath of U.S. employees in IBM's global business services unit, with a number of the jobs reassigned to workers in India, the Journal reported.

Talk of pending layoffs in IBM's services unit is making the rounds on Alliance@IBM, a Communications Workers of America affiliate attempting to organize IBM workers into a union.

On the Alliance@IBM site, two posts Wednesday … Read more

31 cities with outsourcing potential

Forget Chennai and Mumbai. The outsourcing hubs of tomorrow will be in Guadalajara and Gdansk.

An eclectic mix of 31 cities worldwide will challenge today's best-known outsourcing centers in China and India, according to a new report from professional services giant KPMG.

Faced with overburdened telecommunications infrastructure and overstretched labor markets in traditional offshore locations, these cities are among the alternatives that should be considered by companies, the report says.

The report found that the new cities in the Asia-Pacific region offer lower costs, younger populations, and government incentives such as easy work permits, while those in Europe, Middle … Read more

Nvidia cuts workforce 6.5 percent

Update at 10:45 p.m. with additional information throughout.

Responding to "business realities," Nvidia is cutting its workforce by over six percent.

Nvidia, the world's largest graphics chip supplier, on Thursday announced a workforce reduction of 6.5 percent "to allow for continued investment in strategic growth areas," the company said in a statement. "As a result, Nvidia expects to eliminate approximately 360 positions worldwide, or about 6.5 percent of the company's global workforce."

The company expects to record restructuring-related charges of approximately $7 million to $10 million in the … Read more