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The
expected layoffs would be the latest in the U.S. technology
sector, where companies including Amazon.com Inc and Meta
Platforms Inc have announced retrenchment exercises in response
to slowing demand and a worsening global economic outlook.
Microsoft's move could indicate that the tech sector may
continue to shed jobs.
"From a big picture perspective, another pending round of
layoffs at Microsoft suggests the environment is not improving,
and likely continues to worsen," Morningstar analyst Dan
Romanoff said.
U.K broadcaster Sky News reported, citing sources, that
Microsoft plans to cut about 5% of its workforce, or about
11,000 roles.
The company plans to cut jobs in a number of engineering
divisions on Wednesday, Bloomberg News reported, according to a
person familiar with the matter, while Insider reported that
Microsoft could cut recruiting staff by as much as one-third.
The cuts will be significantly larger than other rounds in the
past year, the Bloomberg report said.
Microsoft declined to comment on the reports.
The company had 221,000 full-time employees, including 122,000
in the United States and 99,000 internationally, as of June 30,
according to filings.
Microsoft is under pressure to maintain growth rates at its
cloud unit Azure, after several quarters of downturn in the
personal computer market hurt Windows and devices sales.
It had said in July last year that a small number of roles had
been eliminated. In October, news site Axios reported that
Microsoft had laid off under 1,000 employees across several
divisions.
Shares of Microsoft, which is set to report quarterly results on
Jan. 24, were marginally higher in late afternoon trading.
(Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel
and Sriraj Kalluvila)
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