Microsoft has once again started sending layoff notices to employees today, July 2nd. This round of layoffs is significant, involving multiple teams globally, including the sales department and Xbox gaming business.
Although Microsoft has not disclosed the specific number of layoffs, they have stated that it will be less than 4% of the total number of employees compared to the same period last year. According to data released by Microsoft in June of last year, the company had 228,000 full-time employees at that time. Based on this proportion, it is estimated that around 9,000 employees will be affected by this round of layoffs.
In their statement, Microsoft said that the layoffs are mainly due to changes in the market environment, and the company needs to make necessary organizational adjustments to maintain competitiveness within the teams.
In fact, this is already the third round of layoffs at Microsoft this year. In May of this year, Microsoft had just carried out a large-scale layoff affecting around 6,000 employees, mostly software engineers and product management positions, which was considered the largest layoff in the past two years. Following that, in June, 300 people were laid off at the company’s headquarters in Washington State.
Just in May alone, nearly 2,000 employees lost their jobs in the Puget Sound region where Microsoft’s headquarters are located.
Within a few short months, three consecutive waves of layoffs have left many Microsoft employees feeling anxious, worrying about being “targeted” at any time. We will continue to closely monitor the situation moving forward.