REDMOND, Wash., July 17 (UPI) -- Microsoft is expected to cut up to 18,000 jobs, which is close to 15 percent of its workforce, as the company attempts to streamline its operations.
In a statement released Thursday, Microsoft said that of the 15,000 jobs, 12,500 professional and factory positions will be eliminated on account of Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia's handset business. Thursday's layoffs are the company's largest ever, surpassing the 5,800 employees that were let go in 2009, at the peak of the recession.