Microsoft presents buyout for as much as 7% of US workers

Microsoft is providing voluntary retirement buyouts for the primary time in its 51-year historical past, per studies from CNBC and Bloomberg.

In accordance with an inside memo, workers will probably be eligible if their years of labor at Microsoft plus their age totals 70 or extra, with some exceptions. So if somebody who’s 52 years outdated has 18 years of service at Microsoft, they might qualify for the buyout.

This transfer offers Microsoft a possibility to cut back its headcount in a fashion much less abrasive than mass layoffs. Over the previous few years, Microsoft has weathered a number of rounds of layoffs, affecting hundreds of workers — most just lately, the corporate minimize 9,000 jobs final summer season.

The corporate had an estimated 125,000 U.S. workers as of June. The buyouts would reportedly apply to 7% of the U.S. workforce, which quantities to about 8,750 workers.

TechCrunch has reached out to Microsoft for remark.