Vodafone Layoffs Announced: Who Will Be Impacted?

Vodafone layoffs have been announced on 16 May 2023 and the company has stated that it would be laying off 11,000 employees over the next three years. The layoffs are part of a larger restructuring effort by the company, which is facing increasing competition from rivals such as Deutsche Telekom and Orange.

Who Will Be Impacted by Vodafone Layoffs?

The layoffs will affect employees across all levels and functions, and will be concentrated in Vodafone's headquarters in London, as well as its operations in Europe and Africa. The company said that it would provide severance packages and outplacement assistance to affected employees.

Vodafone's CEO, Margherita Della Valle, said that the layoffs were necessary to simplify the organization and regain its competitiveness. She also added that the company needed to become more agile and responsive to the needs of its customers. The comparative performance of Vodafone has worsened over time, which is connected to the experience of our customers, she said.

“Today I am announcing my plans for Vodafone. Our performance has not been good enough. To consistently deliver, Vodafone must change. My priorities are customers, simplicity and growth. We will simplify our organisation, cutting out complexity to regain our competitiveness. We will reallocate resources to deliver the quality service our customers expect and drive further growth from the unique position of Vodafone Business,” said  Margherita Della Valle.

The layoffs are a sign of the tough times facing the telecoms industry. The industry is facing increasing competition from rivals, as well as the rise of new technologies such as 5G. This is forcing telecoms companies to cut costs and become more efficient.

“Our market position and performance varies by geography and segment. Where we have the right combination of strong local execution and a rational market structure, we can grow and drive returns. There are also material differences between our Consumer and Business segments, with Business growing in nearly all European markets. Our turnaround must be built from our strengths, but we need to overcome some clear challenges. We are more complex than we need to be, which limits our local commercial agility,” stated Margherita Della Valle.

Vodafone is not the only telecoms company that has announced layoffs in recent months. In February, AT&T announced that it would be laying off 2,000 employees. And in March, Verizon announced that it would be laying off 10,000 employees.