The report suggests Microsoft jobs will be cut from corporate offices and several global regions. This time, the layoffs are labelled as “small round” so we don’t expect cuts to reach significant numbers. Unfortunately, Microsoft has not expanded on details, but did confirm the layoffs are happening. Interestingly, the layoffs will affect the Windows Devices Group primarily. This is almost certainly a reflection of Microsoft deciding to virtually abandon the mobile market last year. The company announced it will no longer add features or create hardware for Windows 10 Mobile. However, the platform will still be supported and Microsoft will focus on apps for other platforms. Bing is also included in the job cuts, which all appear to be at executive level. Microsoft currently has over 100,000 employees around the world. The company says the layoffs will not be as big as previous cuts.
Cutting Jobs
Back in July, 2016, Microsoft announced 3,000 jobs were cut from its Sales Division. The company’s continued transition to the cloud was cited as the reason for the cuts. A focus of the restructure will be the merger between its SME divisions and enterprise customers unit. Last year, Microsoft slashed thousands of jobs. After pulling back from making Lumia smartphones, the company cut 1,850 staff. That was only the tip of the iceberg as the Nokia devices purchase ultimately cost 7,800 jobs. In September 2016, Microsoft said it will cut 2,850 jobs, mainly from Skype locations and sales.
