Microsoft announces new round of layoffs, cuts hundreds of jobs

Tough times in the tech industry are showing no signs of receding. Earlier this year in January, Microsoft announced that it is eliminating 10,000 jobs and employees were being laid off. Over the course of the next few months, Microsoft employees were asked to leave the organisation. Now, Microsoft has announced a fresh round of job cuts — though on a smaller scale.According to a report by GeekWire, Microsoft is cutting close to 275 jobs.
Layoffs mainly in the US
According to the report, 276 employees have been laid off are in the Washington region of the US. In a statement to the GeekWire, Microsoft confirmed the layoffs and said, “Organisational and workforce adjustments are a necessary and regular part of managing our business. We will continue to prioritise and invest in strategic growth areas for our future and in support of our customers and partners.”
Incidentally, Microsoft had laid off a small number of employees around this time last year as well.
Back in January when Microsoft laid off 10,000 employees, it was about 5% of its total head count. In a blog post, Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft had said that while the company was eliminating jobs, it was still looking to hire. “It’s important to note that while we are eliminating roles in some areas, we will continue to hire in key strategic areas. We know this is a challenging time for each person impacted. The senior leadership team and I are committed that as we go through this process, we will do so in the most thoughtful and transparent way possible,” Nadella had said.
In the previous round of layoffs, almost every big company, including Amazon, Google, Meta, Intel had announced thousands of job cuts. Whether other companies follow Microsoft’s suit this time around remains to be seen.