IBM Corp yesterday duly announced that it is offering voluntary severance terms to an unspecified number of US employees as part of efforts to re-balance the skills of its workforce. IBM is making the buyout offer to support staff in various businesses US-wide, and employees that decide to accept the deal will leave IBM by the end of the year. Even with the plan, IBM expects its US staff to grow this year from the 110,000 at end-1995. Only employees that have been with IBM for more than five years are eligible, because in recent years the company has been hiring experienced people with critical skills. Analysts warn that lay-offs are likely before the end of the year if not enough employees accept the offer.
