Microsoft job cuts rumoured for later this week

Microsoft could be on the verge of announcing the biggest round of job cuts in its history, as it seeks to streamline its business in the wake of the Nokia acquisition.

According to a report on Bloomberg, the software giant could be preparing to cut more than 5,800 staff across multiple divisions, including members of the Nokia and global XBox teams.

Two sources, speaking to the publication under condition of anonymity, said the job cuts may be announced later this week.

The last time the company made an extensive cut to its workforce was in 2009 at the start of the recession. This saw it reduce its headcount by five per cent, which resulted in 5,800 jobs going.

At the time, this marked the largest company restructure Redmond had ever undertaken.

The Bloomberg article reports that Microsoft had 127,104 employees as of 5 June, having added a further 30,000 via the Nokia deal.

Microsoft has declined to comment on the report.

News of the prospective job cuts follows on from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's company memo last week, which shed some considerable light on how he plans to reshape the firm.

In it, Nadella said he wants to reposition Microsoft for the cloud and mobile era, and move away from its roots as a products and services firm.