There had been a lot of discussion about the HB-1 visa program and the influx of professionals from India coming to the U.S. to fill jobs. However, Chevron and BP have said, "Hold my beer." Both companies have recently announced significant layoffs. But it's not just about cutting jobs—both Chevron and BP announced last year that they are setting up tech hubs in India, where they plan to hire engineers for a wide range of shared services and project work. This strategic shift highlights a growing trend of global outsourcing, where companies are moving key functions abroad to take advantage of lower costs employees in India. While the U.S. job market faces uncertainty, these moves from Chevron and BP signal a broader shift in how multinational corporations are organizing their workforce and tapping into emerging markets.

So, the new approach is to bring jobs to India to reduce the costs of hiring engineers and other technical professionals.

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BP is actively moving some of its jobs to India, particularly focusing on establishing a "Technical Solutions India" center in Pune, which will serve as a major hub for global technical and engineering expertise, potentially leading to job shifts from other locations like the UK and US to India to improve cost-effectiveness and project efficiency; this move is part of a larger cost-cutting strategy by the company, which also includes global job reductions.

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bp is making 4,700 staff redundant – more than 5% of its total workforce – and axing 3,000 contractors as it pushes to cut costs.

The job losses follow a string of disappointing quarterly performances and a pledge last year by CEO Murray Auchincloss to cut at least US$2bn in costs by the end of 2026 to reassure investors.

In a memo seen by Reuters, Auchincloss told staff: “We have got more we need to do through this year, next year and beyond, but we are making strong progress as we position bp to grow as a simpler, more focused, higher-value company.”

The company employs 90,000 staff of which around 11,000 are engineers. bp has declined to provide a breakdown of the types of roles facing cuts. However, Reuters reports that Emeka Emembolu, head of bp's technology division, messaged his team saying he expects around 1,100 roles will be cut through redundancies or by shifting work from the UK and the US to Hungary, India, and Malaysia.

The FT reports that Auchincloss told staff that bp had “stopped or paused 30 projects since June” and intended to expand operations in lower cost countries. Last year, bp announced it would set up a new centre in Pune, India to house its global technical and engineering expertise. It said it would look to expand operations in the city, noting it has a rich talent pool provided by various engineering and technical colleges.

The Chemical Engineer on BP

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Chevron is hiring jobs in India, with plans to add 600 employees by the end of 2025. The company is investing $1 billion in a new tech hub in Bengaluru, India. The new hub will be Chevron's largest tech center outside the United States

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HOUSTON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - During an internal town hall meeting last week, roughly 40,000 Chevron employees were shown a video touting the oil giant's success in Colorado as the largest oil and gas producer in the state.

Less than 30 minutes later, executives announced plans to cut up to 20% of the global workforce.

Despite progress in safety and financial performance, Chevron (CVX.N), opens new tab had fallen behind its competitors, company leaders told employees during the internal meeting on February 12. The business had become over-complicated, costs had crept up and Chevron struggled to quickly make decisions, they said on the webcast.

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Reuters reviewed presentation slides and a recording of the town hall that was webcast to staffers globally.

Chevron's plan to cut as much as a fifth of its workforce - about 8,000 people - comes after oil prices traded in the $70-80 per barrel range for most of the past year. Oil prices and refining margins were lower than the previous year, but still sufficient to drive a full year 2024 profit for Chevron of $18.3 billion, down from $24.7 billion in 2023.

The layoffs cap a tough 18 months for the second-largest U.S. oil producer, which inked a $53 billion agreement to acquire New York-based oil firm Hess (HES.N), opens new tab in October 2023 in order to gain an important stake in Guyana's profitable oilfields, only to have Exxon Mobil (XOM.N), opens new tab and CNOOC, Hess' partners in Guyana, challenge the deal in court.

Yahoo Finance on Chevron Tech Center

Reuters on Chevron layoffs