Microsoft has launched a voluntary separation program for employees in the United States, Canada, India and the United Kingdom whose experience level is 70 or below under the company’s internal classification system.
Around 60,000 employees are eligible to participate, representing approximately 27% of Microsoft’s global workforce of 223,000, CNBC reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.
The program offers financial support and career-planning assistance. Eligible employees must decide whether to participate by early December, with departures scheduled for December 31.
According to Microsoft’s latest annual report, the company employed approximately 223,000 people worldwide as of June 30, 2026, including 121,000 in the United States and 102,000 in other countries.
In April, Microsoft also offered voluntary buyouts to more than 8,000 U.S. employees, equivalent to around 7% of its American workforce. That program covered employees whose combined age and years of service totaled at least 70.
The Financial Times reported that Microsoft was seeking to reduce personnel costs amid large-scale investments in artificial intelligence. At the time, the company planned to spend $140 billion on capital expenditures in the fiscal year ending in June.
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