Microsoft’s global headcount remained steady at 228,000 employees over the past year, but the mix of roles changed notably, reflecting ongoing shifts in the company’s workforce.
- Employment in product research and development declined by about 1,000 roles, falling to 80,000 employees worldwide as of June 30, the end of Microsoft’s 2025 fiscal year.
- Meanwhile, the number of employees in operations roles rose by 3,000, to 89,000.
- Headcount in sales and marketing and general and administration fell by 1,000 each, to 44,000 and 15,000, respectively.
The new numbers were disclosed Wednesday afternoon in the company’s annual 10-K filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, following its fourth quarter earnings report.
The filings reflect an initial round of layoffs in May, affecting about 6,000 people, but not a larger round in early July, impacting about 9,000 workers, which took place just after the close of the company’s fiscal year.
Reports at the time of the initial layoffs said software engineers inside the company were impacted disproportionately by the cuts, although Microsoft has said that AI productivity gains were not a primary factor in the reductions.
The company has continued hiring even with its job cuts, resulting in the flat year-over-year employment number overall. The numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand for purposes of the filing.
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