IBM’s Project Match Sends Laid Off Workers to Developing Countries

An interesting concept, if you’ve been made redundant in one of their American or European arms, IBM will offer to help you make the transition to working in emerging markets. Specifically in China, India and Brazil. IBM has laid off an estimated 4,000 employees since the beginning of 2009 and is showing signs that more pink slips may be in the mail, but in order to save a bit of face, they’ve developed this program that sounds good on paper but in actuality is a great way for them to move Western talent into foreign markets, where they can pay them local salaries, far less than they’d be making back home. It’s strategic at best, but they spin it well…

Under a program called Project Match, IBM will help workers laid off from domestic sites obtain travel and visa assistance for countries in which Big Blue has openings. Mostly that’s developing markets like India, China, and Brazil.

“IBM has established Project Match to help you locate potential job opportunities in growth markets where your skills are in demand,” IBM says in an internal notice on the initiative. “Should you accept a position in one of these countries, IBM offers financial assistance to offset moving costs, provides immigration support, such as visa assistance, and other support to help ease the transition of an international move.”

The document states that the program is limited to “satisfactory performers who have been notified of separation from IBM U.S. or Canada and are willing to work on local terms and conditions.” The latter indicates that workers will be paid according to prevailing norms in the countries to which they relocate. In many cases, that could be substantially less than what they earned in North America.