One year after it started sacking jobs in a move designed to counterbalance the revenue drop generated by the worldwide economic downturn, Microsoft embraces an initiative that will have it and other large US corporations hiring a vast number of college graduates by the end of this year. Microsoft and the members of the Invest in America Alliance initiative herded by Intel intend to hire over 10,000 people fresh out of college. The move comes as US-based companies attempt to contribute to jumpstarting the country’s economy which is recovering from the economic crisis which seems to have hit an apex in 2009.

“Microsoft is proud to join the Invest in America Alliance in a significant commitment to jump start the U.S. economy through job creation for this year’s college graduates. Seventeen major corporations, brought together by Intel Corporation, committed today to substantial increases in hiring goals. In total, this initiative will result in 10,500 new college graduate hires in 2010 for a range of positions,” revealed Fred Humphries, managing director, U.S. Government Affairs.

It is nothing short of a 180 degrees move for Microsoft, as the company was announcing the cut of over 5,000 jobs at the start of 2009. One year later, the software giant seems ready to give green light to hiring fresh blood, although there was no mention of the exact number of positions that Microsoft will create for the 10,500 college graduates which will be hired by the end of 2010 by all companies of the Invest in America Alliance.

“Participating in the Invest in America Alliance is just one way Microsoft is working to enhance U.S. job growth. Partnering with governors across the country, we launched Elevate America a year ago as part of our overall effort to help provide technology training to two million people over three years. In concert with federal officials, we have supported efforts to increase investments in education and workforce training. And with local leaders and educators, we are seeking to grow the pipeline of students, especially in computer science and education. As part of these efforts, our company has developed programs such as Partners in Learning, which provides curricula and class materials, and DreamSpark, which offers students free software,” Humphries added.