Microsoft set to axe thousands more jobs by next year

Vendor intends to lay off a further 2,850 by July 2017 on top of 1,850 announced in May

Microsoft has disclosed its intention to cut another 2,850 jobs in the next 12 months, adding to the 1,850 positions it cut last May, according to a 28 July 10-K filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

In the filing, Microsoft called the layoffs, which will span the Redmond giant's fiscal year 2017 beginning 1 July, "an extension of the earlier plan", indicating the move will likely hit remaining smartphone hardware-associated employees and global sales staffers.

"In addition to the elimination of 1,850 positions that were announced in May 2016, approximately 2,850 roles globally will be reduced during the year as an extension of the earlier plan, and these actions are expected to be completed by the end of fiscal year 2017," the company said in the document.

The vendor said the new round of layoffs will not result in any additional restructuring changes over and above the $501m it took in fiscal year 2016.

Two months ago, Microsoft discarded its $7bn Nokia smartphone experiment with a final layoff of 1,850 staff members. Those cuts hit some 1,350 people in Finland and another 500 elsewhere, and essentially signaled Microsoft's exit from the mobile handset market, at least until further notice.

Those job cuts came just days after Microsoft unloaded its entry-level feature phone business to Hon Hai/Foxconn's FIH Mobile and Finland-based HMD global Oy for $350m.

A year ago, Microsoft laid off 7,800 former Nokia staffers and took a $7.6bn write down.

Notification of the planned layoff was first reported by Business Insider.