Redmond, June 28: Microsoft laid off 161 employees in its consulting group this week, the software company's largest staff cuts since January 2002. The layoffs occurred on Monday, affecting about 11 per cent of the 1,500 consultants who assist large customers with planning, installing and operating computer systems.
The company decided to eliminate the positions as part of a restructuring of its consulting business, Microsoft spokeswoman Stacy Drake said.
Microsoft is continuing to hire and increase its staffing overall, she noted, and has added 4,000 new positions in its fiscal year ending June 30.
The company has trimmed positions in its European Operations Centre in Dublin, Ireland, its Business Solutions group in the Philippines and its MSNBC.com venture with NBC in the past two years. Monday's layoff is the largest since it cut 168 jobs in January 2002, when it shut down its Ultimate TV division in California and cut 168 jobs.
Bureau Report