Microsoft Still Hiring

Microsoft might be laying off plenty of employees, but it's hiring others for positions in Washington state.

There was a shock-horror reaction to the news that Microsoft would be shedding some 5,000 jobs over the next 18 months. But according to the Seattle Times, the company is still hiring for positions in Washington state – some 72 of them posted since January 22.

11 of those positions relate to search, and in an e-mail, a Microsoft spokeswoman told reporter Benjamin J. Romano:

"The company’s strategic direction remains unchanged, so you can expect to see Microsoft continue to hire in most of the areas it has been investing in, areas such as online services, search and cloud computing, to name a few," adding "the number of open positions will continue to vary based on business need, as it always does. … [the open jobs] are a combination of new positions open and natural attrition."

Chief executive Steve Ballmer had singled out search as one area where the company would be expanding its efforts and hiring.

Among the other positions are a job on the Media Auctions Product Marketing Team, others with Windows Live and MSN, and one for a software development engineer in "a brand new MSN website focusing on local people, activities, and businesses. … By combining the best of local content destinations (like City Guides and Weather) with the power of local search, we are embarking on a cutting-edge project to revolutionize the way people consume local content."

There were even 11 openings posted in the Entertainment and Devices Division, which is believed to be hardest hit by layoffs, while advertising is also seeking out new talent.