Microsoft is preparing to axe thousands of jobs in the latest move by one of the world’s biggest technology companies to reduce its workforce in the face of a slowing global economy.
Sky News has learnt that the US software giant could announce plans to cull a significant number of posts around the world within a matter of days.
Microsoft, which employs more than 220,000 people, including 6,000 in the UK, is said to be contemplating cutting roughly 5% of its workforce, which if accurate would equate to approximately 11,000 jobs.
That figure could not be verified on Tuesday evening, and one analyst suggested that Wall Street would be surprised if the figure was not higher than that.
It was also unclear whether or how many UK-based positions might be affected.
The company, which has placed huge bets on the growth of cloud computing and now has a market value of $1.78tn, is due to report second-quarter earnings next week.
If finalised, an announcement about headcount reductions is likely to come before Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s chairman and chief executive, updates investors on its financial performance on January 24.
In recent weeks, a slew of large tech companies have wielded the axe, with Amazon disclosing plans this month to cut 18,000 jobs, or about 6% of its workforce.
Salesforce, the cloud software provider, said it would cut 8,000 jobs, while Meta, the owner of Facebook, is reducing its workforce by approximately 11,000 roles.
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