At the highest echelon of Silicon Valley industry leaders, there is one big hardware and software manufacturer whose job posting cuts stand head-and-shoulders out above others in the tech sector: Microsoft ($MSFT). But, its new fiscal year and a new strategy may change that.
From its peak this year, job postings at Microsoft are down more than 60%; putting its reduction in postings far ahead of major players on the West Coast like Alphabet/Google ($GOOG), which saw a 43% reduction in postings from 2020's peak; or Apple (down 26%), or Amazon (down 28%). It isn't slowing down Microsoft stock, which is up about 30% in 2020.
The chart above depicts Microsoft job postings, which are down more than 60% from their 2020 peak, and down 53% year-to-date.
In fact, there are plenty of changes ahead for Microsoft - and soon, job postings could reverse that decline. The company's fiscal year just kicked off, and with it, a new slate of priorities to grow key businesses. Among new initiatives, according to a ZDNet report, will be the launch of Microsoft Consulting - an opportunity for the tech giant to take on businesses long-dominated by accounting and advisory firms.
But so far, not much of an uptick in hiring. And the ZDNet report clarified that there were little layoffs in the offing, at least for now.
The postings we tracked in our first chart just pertain to Microsoft's core business - so LinkedIn's job postings would only add to both the number and the percentage to which the company has reduced postings - making its cuts stand out that much more in comparison to peers, again.
On its LinkedIn side of the business, Microsoft has cut 92% of job postings from its 2020 peak.
We conclude with a chart that tracks all Microsoft job postings - this stretches across its biggest category, like engineering, where postings are down nearly 57% from peak numbers, to other segments, like marketing and communications, which saw an even greater pullback on a percentage basis over the same timeframe.
About the Data:
Thinknum tracks companies using the information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales, and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue, and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales.
