Intel told employees Monday they could face another round of layoffs if the number of workers who accept buyouts doesn't meet the company's targets.

And next time, Intel said, severance packages may not be so good.

Intel is in the process of eliminating 12,000 jobs across the company, 11 percent of its total work force, as it adjusts to long-term decline in the PC industry. It handed pink slips to 784 Oregon workers last month and plans to cut hundreds more jobs through buyouts, early retirement programs and by laying off workers whose projects are cancelled.

The company had 19,500 Oregon employees before the layoffs started, more workers than any other business in Oregon. If Intel applies cutbacks evenly across the company, it will reduce its Oregon work force by more than 2,000 jobs by the middle of 2017.

In a sternly worded memo Monday from the heads of Intel business groups to employees offered buyouts, the company suggested that if too many employees pass on the company's offer then Intel will resort to more layoffs.

"If we don't meet our targets, we will take follow-on actions, including involuntary headcount reductions," managers wrote in a confidential email obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive. "Those impacted by these follow-on actions may not receive packages comparable to the ones currently on offer."

(Clarification: The memo went to employees invited to participate in Intel's "Voluntary Separation Program." It apparently did not go to employees offered a separate early retirement package.)

In Monday's memo, Intel boasts that its buyouts are "market leading and the highest offered by Intel in the past several years."

Workers who take the buyout get at least eight weeks of pay, with some long-term employees receiving more than a year of pay. Employees also get a portion of their bonus and most will receive at least six months of health insurance.

The memo says the buyout offer represents "an opportunity to know where you stand regarding your future at Intel and determine if joining another company is a good option."

An unsubtle note near the end of the memo ratchets up the pressure: "We will continue to manage lower performers," it reads, "each year."

Employees eligible for a buyout have until June 2 to make their decision.

-- Mike Rogoway

mrogoway@oregonian.com

503-294-7699

@rogoway