Just when we thought Microsoft was done handing out layoff notices, the company has confirmed with the New York Times that it is still shedding employee weight. Following its recent 2016 first quarter earnings announcement, news is surfacing that Microsoft has quietly finished another round of layoffs. Microsoft is reported to have laid off up to 1,000 employees this time around.
A Microsoft spokesperson had this to say:
The job reductions were spread across more than one business area and country and reflect adaptations to business needs.”
While the exact number has yet to be confirmed, this most recent round of job cuts adds to the several Microsoft has conducted over the past year. Last year Microsoft announced it would be letting go of over 18,000 jobs, many in relation to its purchase of Nokia’s handset division. Several months and a handful of highly publicized emails later, Microsoft has purged itself of much of the Nokia additions as well as trimming teams and shedding its robust contractor positions.
Microsoft journalist Mary Jo Foley’s follow-up reporting confirms that this week’s round of releases continue to be to contract position-related.
I heard from one contact of mine that Microsoft is cutting ‘a noticeable’ number of contractors this week, including a number involved in finance and legal.”
Over the years, Microsoft’s employee count ballooned to over 120,000 employees worldwide. As Microsoft’s future begins to take new shape, perhaps those numbers are no longer sustainable for the company. It is never enjoyable to report on news such as this. Hopefully, Microsoft’s course correction is within sight, and the company can remain focused on innovations that result in new and better jobs in the future.
