Microsoft announced that it will solicit voluntary retirement applications from approximately 60,000 employees, while quarterly profit surged to more than $36.6 billion. Japanese listed companies are also increasingly soliciting early retirement while remaining profitable, drawing attention to how the trend will develop.
Microsoft announced that it will solicit voluntary retirement applications from approximately 60,000 employees. This represents around 27% of its total workforce and is reportedly intended to restructure its workforce while maintaining profitability.
In its results released shortly afterward, the company reported that profit for the July–September quarter had surged to more than $36.6 billion (approximately ¥5.78 trillion). The move is reportedly linked to restructuring its workforce while continuing to invest in AI.
In Japan, a Tokyo Shoko Research survey found that more than 60% of listed companies that solicited applications for early or voluntary retirement were profitable. Profitable companies are also said to be increasingly pursuing structural reforms.
As additional expert commentary, the retirement solicitation has been described as a reassignment of personnel accompanying a shift in focus toward AI businesses, rather than workforce reductions resulting from deteriorating performance. The commentary also states that attention should be paid to the potential decline in morale among remaining employees.