Microsoft will implement a voluntary resignation program for about 60,000 employees in the United States, Britain, Canada and India, the Wall Street Journal reported on Oct. 26 local time.

In a message to employees, Microsoft Chief People Officer Amy Coleman (에이미 콜먼) said the voluntary resignation offer is an important part of changing how the company approaches change. She said Microsoft wants to increase flexibility and, where possible, create more ways for employees to design their next career steps.

Microsoft will run the program for a limited period. It will provide eligible employees with financial support and assistance with changing jobs. Coleman said eligible employees would receive an email link with detailed terms within hours.

Microsoft also announced a voluntary resignation program in April. At the time, it offered resignations to about 8,600 people, and more than 30 percent accepted, the WSJ reported, citing sources. The company expects the acceptance rate for this program to be much lower, the WSJ added.

Microsoft had 223,000 employees as of the end of June.

Eligible employees must decide in December whether to accept the offer. Employees who choose to participate will leave the company on Dec. 31. Microsoft set no separate target for the program, CNBC reported.

Microsoft’s move is aimed at balancing expanded investment in AI infrastructure and capital efficiency. Microsoft is increasing data centre investment to provide cloud services to companies including Anthropic and OpenAI.

Microsoft earlier this year also announced job cuts of 3,200 in its Xbox games division.

Microsoft will report third-quarter results on Oct. 29.