Microsoft plans to cut jobs: report

Software giant Microsoft is looking to trim its workforce across various divisions and could announce the plans next week, says a media report.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that Microsoft is seriously exploring significant work force reductions that could be announced as early as next week.

Quoting people familiar with its plans, the daily said, the company is "considering layoffs across its various divisions, a rare occurrence for the world's largest software company".

However, the report quoting one of these people added that the "plans for the cutbacks are still in flux and Microsoft could end up finding alternative methods of reining in costs".

The Wall Street Journal pointed out that the number of potential job reductions could not be learned.

"But they are likely to be far less than the 15,000 positions that have been rumored in recent weeks, a figure that would amount to more than 16 per cent of Microsoft's global work force," the report said attributing to people familiar with the matter.

Earlier this month, the UK-based The Times had reported that Microsoft is "preparing to announce the first wide scale layoffs in its 32-year history, with up to 15,000 jobs at risk, according to some predictions".