Rumors are ripe, with latest additions of those from the blog Fudzilla, that starting January 15 the software giant Microsoft could possibly layoff 15,000 employees globally - that amounts to almost 17 percent of Microsoft's total workforce of 90,000! The earlier rumors had it that about 10 percent of the employees will be given marching orders.

The only practical reason, if any, behind such a huge rumored job-cut by Microsoft would be in case the company is looking at eliminating business units - in such a situation, the October leak out of Microsoft's plans to close its MSN Groups service on February
21 is a high probability. But even then, the question that arises is that a big company like Microsoft can consider restructuring its business by selling off its divisions, rather than shutting them down!

Commenting on the volume of the cuts that are making rounds in the rumor circles, Wall Street veteran Henry Blodget said that there appears to be no reason for Microsoft to cut cost to such an extent, unless its business has been entirely crushed of late. But since Microsoft's margins are still fine - with its revenue largely coming from multi-year contracts - the likelihood of colossal intra-quarter slash is pretty bleak.

Though there is no confirmation about the departments or regions to be the worst hit by the cuts, it is being believed that MSN might carry the brunt of the layoffs. It is also quite probable that at Microsoft EMEA - Europe, Middle East and Africa - the staff cuts would be larger than at other places.