With Microsoft confirming performance-based job cuts, globally, there was concern that employees in India may also lose their jobs too. However, reports say that Puneet Chandok, president, Microsoft India and South Asia has assured that there will be no job cuts in India.
As per The Hindu businessline, Chandok said that India will witness more jobs being created by Microsoft given the number of projects that it is working on.
However, the company did reportedly confirm that it had cut a small number of jobs, across its global operations, on the basis of performance. A significant 20,000 from its 2.28 lakh strong global workforce operates out of India, and they will reportedly not be impacted.
On his recent visit to India, Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO, Microsoft, reportedly highlighted that India was leading in terms of AI innovation, further corroborating the fact that there will be no dearth of opportunities in the country. He also spoke of investing more in skilling and infrastructure in the country, further reaffirming the commitment of the tech major to making India an AI hub.
About a year ago, Microsoft had introduced a major skilling initiative in India named ADVANTA(I)GE INDIA, with the goal of equipping two million individuals with AI skills by 2025. This initiative was rolled out as a part of Microsoft’s broader Skills for Jobs programme, focusing on empowering India’s workforce with future-ready skills in alignment with responsible AI principles.
