IBM is notoriously close lipped about layoffs but the company has said that some jobs are being cut as part of a downsizing.  According to a union group that has tracked paperwork that IBM is federally required to issue to employees whose jobs have been eliminated, the latest round of cuts totals 612.  The packets don’t provide information regarding location, but IBM confirmed that some of the layoffs were in Rochester, New York.  Another 100 cuts are reportedly hitting North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park, according to the union.  Reports of layoffs have also being received from Raleigh, Lexington, East Fishkill, Poughkeepsie, and San Ramon.

According to the union group, it is difficult to accurately count the total number of layoffs because they rely on voluntary submission of information from within discrete business units.  Affected workers are being encouraged to apply for other positions within the company and some older employees are being pushed to retire, all of which further obscures the actual numbers.