In the past two years, Ericsson and Nokia have cut about 20,000 jobs, roughly 10% of their total workforce. This contrasts with Huawei, which added 33,000 R&D positions during the same period.
The telecom industry has been facing declining or stagnant sales, leading to workforce reductions. From 2015 to 2023, 20 major operators shrank their headcount by 438,000 (24%). The job cuts at Western suppliers like Ericsson and Nokia are particularly concerning. At Mobile World Congress in 2023, these two companies, which account for 44% of global radio access network sales, reduced their workforce by over 20,000. These cuts have not been offset by growth from other Western suppliers.
South Korea's Samsung has also faced challenges, with its network division seeing a drop in revenues.
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