Microsoft has confirmed up to 150 UK jobs will be among the 5,000 positions lost globally as the software giant reduces its workforce by 5%.
A spokesman for Microsoft told Personnel Today it was too early to say which areas of the UK workforce would be affected, but he could not rule out cuts in back-office functions, including HR.
The redundancies – the first in the company’s 34-year history – will reduce its 2,880-strong UK workforce by 5%, and will take effect by June 2010.
The Microsoft UK spokesman said: “As part of the plan we announced in January to reduce costs and increase efficiencies, today Microsoft is commencing consultation to remove additional positions across several areas of the company. A number of UK positions are affected, representing about 5% of the 2,880 people currently based in the UK.
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“We are working closely with affected employees to help them through this difficult transition. While job reductions are always difficult, we need to rebalance resources against our priorities in the current climate, and we will continue to evaluate our business to ensure that our investments are aligned to current and future revenue opportunities.”
In January, Microsoft announced 5,000 jobs would be lost as the company announced poor results during the downturn.
