Sallie Mae to Create 2,000 Jobs, Return Its Overseas Operations to U.S.

[sledgehammer]

Source: Yahoo Finance

RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sallie Mae, the nation’s leading provider of saving- and paying-for-college programs, today announced that it will create 2,000 jobs by returning its overseas operations to the U.S. Specifically, Sallie Mae will hire call center, information technology, and operations support positions in various communities across the country.

“For 37 years, we have been dedicated to helping America’s students enhance their lives through an investment in higher education,” said Albert L. Lord, Chief Executive Officer. “We also contribute economically to the many communities where we operate our business. The current economic environment has caused our communities to struggle with job losses. They need jobs, and we will put 2,000 of them into U.S. facilities as soon as we possibly can.”

Sallie Mae expects to hire these employees over the next 18 months. The company currently has operations in 20 communities in the U.S., including Lynn Haven, Fla.; Fishers, Ind.; Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Killeen, Texas; and the company’s newest facility in Newark, Del. Today, Sallie Mae employs more than 8,000 people nationwide.

Read more: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Sallie-Mae-to-Create-2000-bw-14856172.html

---

They deserve our encouragement. Here's some contact info they provided in the press release:

Sallie Mae
Media:
Martha Holler, 703-984-5178
[e-mail]
or
Investors:
Steve McGarry, 703-984-6746
[e-mail]

[frazzled]

1. Well, now with that $40K per year college education you can get a call-center job

There's something bizarre about the idea of the premier student-loan institution trying to provide jobs for a financially over-extended, intellectually trained work force.

Nonetheless, I applaud their bringing the jobs back home.

[Deja Q]

5. I recall reading "Call centers, general IT, and operation support"

Not just the helpdesk.

[sufrommich]

2. I'd love to see this concept catch on. Good for them. nt

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. God Bless them.

[Deja Q]

4. Dang, you beat me to it!

:)

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/reuters/MTFH49106_2009-04-06_14-34-18_N06377118.htm

[Igel]

6. Too bad it's not an economic decision.

' While the jobs shift will cost approximately $35 million a year, Lord dismissed pundits that criticized the expense, saying the move will "enhance our franchise for many years to come." '

Sounds like a half-PR/half-political decision made to preempt government action.

Wait, I've heard of things like that before. Lots of banks and lenders made that kind of decision in the mid-90s wrt "redlining". Gee, *that* worked out so well.

[aquart]

7. Who did we have to kill?

[Barack_America]

8. Sallie Mae to shift 2,000 jobs to U.S. from overseas

Source: Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Student loan company Sallie Mae plans to move its overseas operations back to the United States, creating 2,000 domestic jobs, in what analysts called an attempt to curry favor with the Obama administration.

SLM Corp, as the company is legally known, said on Monday it plans to add staff over the next 18 months in call centers, information technology and operations support across the United States. A spokeswoman said the company will pull jobs from India, Mexico and the Philippines.

The move will cost about $35 million per year, Chief Executive Albert Lord said at a press conference attended by Rep. Paul Kanjorski and Sen. Robert Casey, both Democrats from Pennsylvania, where the new jobs will be located.

"We have reversed our decision to move people offshore," Lord said at a press conference at the company's facility in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, which will gain 600 new jobs.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE5352TH20090406

[phantom power]

9. Good. They can curry that kind of favor all they want.

[high density]

10. Just paid off my loan to Sallie Mae last month

It's a good feeling. It's the biggest rip-off ever that the interest on Stafford loans isn't 1-2% (enough to cover servicing) since there is no risk at all to the lenders.

I'm glad to see they're bringing jobs back to the USA, but one can only figure that's being done because the offshore help has gotten too expensive for whatever reason.

[Dawgs]

11. But President Obama said we don't want those jobs back.

:shrug:

[Barack_America]

19. Oh please.

He was speaking about low-paying manufacturing jobs.

He clearly wants companies to stop outsourcing, hence his pledge to provide tax incentives to companies keeping jobs here.

[napi21]

12. GREAT! Now as long as they don't take any bonuses, they'll

be just fine!

[BobRossi]

13. About effin' time.

Cancel all H1-B visas too.

[Haole Girl]

14. Oh good

You know. I read that headline backwards, and took off on a tirade for a second.

Then, just re-read it.

THAT is a switch!

[Barack_America]

15. .

;)

ETA: Lol. That's how I read it the first time, too. That's how these titles usually read, after all.

[Haole Girl]

16. How embarassing

This is (obviously) a sore spot with me.

:blush:

[AyanEva]

26. I read it in reverse too at first

Then I had to go back and re-read it like two more times before I read it properly. My brain was just refusing to see anything positive. LOL

[wisteria]

17. I Think this is a very good move on the part of Sallie Mae. n/t

[antigop]

18. Where does it say that the jobs will go to U.S. citizens? n/t

[Barack_America]

20. The odds of that are certainly better with the jobs here, no?

:shrug:

[antigop]

21. Um, no, not really. n/t

[Barack_America]

23. The jobs are more likely to go to American citizens if they're overseas?

Please explain.

[HughBeaumont]

27. They're likely to be "in-shored" to h1-Bs over American citizens.

That pesky "living wage" we sort of need to, you know, survive on, and all . . .

[Betsy Ross]

22. Yipee! I'd like to see a story

reporting oh-shoring jobs every day.

[antigop]

25. Celebrate when you find out if the jobs go to U.S. citizens--especially the IT jobs. n/t

[Barack_America]

24. Mods, OP here. My post is a dupe.

This one was first.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3817687