How Microsoft hires, and how to get in: 2026

Microsoft finished its 2026 financial year with about 5,000 fewer people than it started, while revenue rose 18 per cent, so the hiring that remains is concentrated and the route you use to reach it matters more than it did two years ago.

That is the number to hold in your head before you read anything else. On 30 June 2026 Microsoft employed approximately 223,000 people full time, against approximately 228,000 a year earlier, and the fall was almost entirely in the United States, from 125,000 to 121,000. Microsoft Form 10-K, FY2026 and FY2025, checked 21 Sep 2026 Over the same year revenue went from $281.7 billion to $331.8 billion. Microsoft FY26 Q4 results, 29 Jul 2026 Microsoft is still hiring, but it is hiring into a smaller establishment, which means the published process is being applied more strictly rather than less.