Microsoft says it is laying off nearly 3% of its entire workforce.
The tech giant didn’t disclose the total amount of lost jobs but it will amount to about 6,000 people.
As of last June, Microsoft reported it had 228,000 full-time employees, with approximately 55% based in the United States.
Headquartered in Redmond, Washington, Microsoft announced plans for layoffs that will affect employees across all levels and regions. The primary aim is to reduce the number of management positions, and notifications began on Tuesday.
Earlier in January, Microsoft had a smaller wave of performance-related layoffs. However, the current 3% reduction marks their most significant round of layoffs since early 2023, when the company let go of 10,000 employees, roughly 5% of its workforce, as part of a trend where tech firms were tightening back from their growth during the pandemic.
The latest layoffs come just weeks after Microsoft reported strong sales and profits that beat Wall Street expectations for the January-March quarter, which investors took as a dose of relief during a turbulent time for the tech sector and U.S. economy.
Microsoft’s chief financial officer, Amy Hood, said on an April earnings call that the company was focused on “building high-performing teams and increasing our agility by reducing layers with fewer managers.” She also said the headcount in March was 2% higher than a year earlier, and down slightly compared to the end of last year.
