By Deborah Nnamdi
Microsoft plans to lay off 6,000 employees, representing nearly 3% of its global workforce, according to The Guardian.
As of June 2024, the tech giant employed around 228,000 full-time staff. While specific roles targeted by the cuts were not disclosed, the layoffs are expected to impact various departments and levels within the company, with a particular focus on trimming management layers. Affected employees were notified on Tuesday.
The company stated that the move is part of a broader effort to restructure its organizational framework.
“We continue to implement organisational changes necessary to best position the company for success in a dynamic marketplace,” the company said.
The latest round of layoffs follows a smaller set of performance-related job cuts earlier this year. However, the elimination of 6,000 positions marks Microsoft’s most significant workforce reduction since it laid off 10,000 employees—roughly 5% of its staff—in early 2023.
Despite these cuts, Microsoft has continued to post strong financial results, with solid sales and profits reported in its most recent quarter.
During an April earnings call, Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood stated, “We are focused on building high-performing teams and increasing our agility by reducing layers with fewer managers.”
Hood also noted that Microsoft’s total workforce as of March 2025 was 2% higher than the same time last year, though slightly below its size at the end of 2024.
The layoffs reflect Microsoft’s ongoing efforts to adapt to a shifting tech landscape, even as the company benefits from rising demand for artificial intelligence.
Strong recent earnings have helped buffer Microsoft from some of the pressures currently facing the wider technology sector.
