US SOFTWARE giant Microsoft has announced that it was cutting up to 5000 jobs over the next 18 months, including 1400 immediately, due to a slowing economy and weak spending on technology.

Microsoft said net profit fell by 11% in the second quarter of its fiscal year compared with a year ago to 4.17 billion on revenue of 16.63bn, 2% more than the same period a year ago.

The world’s biggest software firm said that “in light of the further deterioration of global economic conditions”, it was eliminating “up to 5000 jobs in R&D (research and development), marketing, sales, finance, legal, HR (human resources), and IT over the next 18 months, including 1400 jobs today”. — Sapa-AFP