Microsoft offers voluntary exit to 60,000 employees:Company has 23,000 staff in India; decision to be made by December 1

Software company Microsoft has offered around 60,000 employees the option to voluntarily leave their jobs. The company shared this information in a blog post. The scheme is for employees in India, the US, the UK and Canada. The scheme will apply to employees in several departments of the company, including AI Experience, Copilot, Finance, Human Resources, Xbox and Windows + Devices. Those working in data centres, sales and marketing have been excluded. The company said employees who choose the option to leave their jobs will receive financial assistance. This will also help them plan their careers. Microsoft has 23,000 employees in India, but it is not yet clear how many will receive the offer. Eligible employees in India will have to make a decision by 1 December. Company says aim is to give employees more options Microsoft Executive Vice-President Amy Coleman said in a blog post that this is a limited-time initiative. Its aim is to give more options to employees who are considering jobs outside the company or other career opportunities. Coleman said, “This voluntary job-exit offer is new for us. We will learn from it.” She said Microsoft would continue helping employees learn new skills and explore other career opportunities within the company. Employees will be offered these opportunities wherever appropriate. Why did the company offer a voluntary separation option? Answering this question in his blog post, Coleman said the scheme would give employees the option to leave their jobs with support and move on. It would also allow the company’s units covered by the scheme to determine their staffing levels according to their changing needs. What will employees receive on leaving their jobs? 4,800 employees were laid off in July The company laid off 4,800 employees in July this year. It said the decision was being taken because of heavy spending on AI infrastructure and to increase efficiency in the business. Earlier, the company had offered a voluntary buyout to around 7% of its US workforce, or approximately 9,000 employees. According to a CNBC report, around 30% of those eligible for the option chose the voluntary retirement scheme. According to regulatory filings, Microsoft had 2,23,000 employees worldwide at the end of June, compared with 2,28,000 at the end of 2025.