The San Luis Obispo Tribune will outsource five advertising production jobs to a San Jose-based company with employees in India, The Tribune reported Thursday.

“This is a painful decision,'' said publisher Chip Visci, according to The Tribune. “The five employees directly affected are valued colleagues with a lot of talent. Each of them has served Tribune customers well.''

The five positions come from within a 15-member department, and if other work opportunities at the newspaper are not available, those employees will receive a severance package. The outsourcing is expected to be complete by mid-summer, The Tribune reported.

McClatchy Co., which owns The Tribune, announced last year it would outsource newspaper delivery customer service work for almost all of its newspapers. When circulation call centres were switched to APAC Customer Services, Then Tribune eliminated four jobs, according to The Tribune.

Outsourcing the five production positions is expected to cost the newspaper about 40 percent less than they currently do.