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Telecom-IT Layoff Tracker: CenturyLink, AT&T, HP
It’s been a tough first half of the year for many IT and telecom professionals as numerous companies trimmed their workforces as part of restructuring plans, acquisitions and other strategies.
However, many may have quickly found new opportunities. Last month, Janco Associates reported the IT job market is on a roll, with nearly 63,000 new jobs added in the the last 12 months and a projection that almost 83,000 new jobs will be added in 2018.
That being said, the telecommunications sector continues to shed jobs, cutting 20,900 jobs in the last 12 months, Janco said.
Meanwhile, IT and telecom layoffs continue to grab headlines on a regular basis.
Scroll through our layoff tracker below for a recap of cuts that occurred during the first half of 2018 at CenturyLink, AT&T, Verizon, Windstream, HP, Microsoft and more.
In May, CenturyLink confirmed it would lay off hundreds more of its workers, or 2 percent of its workforce, as a result of its acquisition of Level 3 Communications, increased efficiencies and automation.
The acquisition was completed last November. CenturyLink had about 50,000 employees at the end of last year.
CenturyLink previously cut jobs just after the close of the acquisition. In November, it confirmed it was laying off more than 150 employees.
Learn more about the decision behind the layoffs.
In January, Windstream confirmed it was laying off employees, including more than 50 in Arkansas, as part of an effort to prepare the company for future growth.
Some 54 positions were being eliminated in Arkansas in various work groups, including 43 in Little Rock where the company is based, said David Avery, Windstream’s vice president of corporate affairs.
“We are only providing the local impact to individual media outlets and not disclosing the overall number of positions affected or estimated savings from the reductions,” he said. “They are effective Feb. 1. Decisions that affect our people are difficult. We appreciate the contributions of those whose positions are affected and will provide severance benefits.”
More reaction to the Windstream job cuts is here.
In March, Verizon said it would transition seven of its U.S. call centers to a 100 percent home-based agent (HBA) model, a move the Communications Workers of America (CWA) says will eliminate thousands of jobs.
The impacted call centers are in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Franklin, Tennessee; Hilliard, Ohio; Huntsville, Alabama; Little Rock, Arkansas; Mankato, Minnesota, and North Charleston, South Carolina.
Rich Young, Verizon spokeman, tells Channel Partners the workers in those call centers are “impacted by the center closings, but the vast majority are being offered positions as home-based agents.”
According to the CWA, half of the 6,500 positions at six of the call centers would remain as the company transitions to the new model over the course of the year. The new home-based jobs require workers to be able to work split shifts, weekends and holidays, have high-speed internet at home and an extra room with total quiet — conditions that many working families cannot meet, it said.
Read more about the impact of the HBA model.
In January, AT&T said it would undergo a year of growth and investment following a year of innovation and legislative wins, but layoffs were part of the plan.
The Indy Star reported that the company also was planning to lay off thousands of workers. The newspaper cited Communications Workers of America (CWA), one of the main unions associated with the company. The CWA said many of AT&T’s U-verse ad DirecTV technicians would lose their jobs. Other reports that followed indicated the number might be in the hundreds rather than thousands, but the carrier wasn't specific about a total.
Read the full story here.
In January, Petri.com reported that Microsoft conducted a small round of layoffs impacting its corporate offices as well as regions around the globe. Microsoft confirmed the cuts, but did not provide any additional information.
Hundreds, not thousands, of jobs were cut, and Microsoft has more than 100,000 employees. Last summer, the company confirmed it was laying off thousands of employees as it implemented changes to “better serve” customers and partners.
In January, VMware, which completed its purchase of VeloCloud Networks, confirmed it laid off what it called a small percentage of its workforce.
The virtualization company wouldn’t say how many employees were cut, or the types of positions impacted.
“We can confirm that there has been a small reduction in force at VMware this week,” said Michael Thacker, VMware spokesman. “Workforce rebalancing is a continual activity across VMware’s businesses and geographies to ensure that resources are aligned with business objectives and customer needs. We continue to recruit in areas of strategic importance for the company.”
Click here to learn more about VMware's decision.
HP expects 4,500 to 5,000 employees to leave the company by the end of fiscal 2019 as part of an ongoing restructuring plan, according to a Reuters report in June.
In fall 2016, the company's board approved a restructuring plan to be implemented through fiscal year 2019, under which it had expected around 4,000 job cuts. In May, the company increased that number by 1-2 percent.
In May, Dell executives announced another round of layoffs, this time cutting 3,000-4,000 jobs, according to a report by ABC News.
Dell, the world's largest PC manufacturer, said the latest cuts would occur over the next six months, and mostly in central Texas. Many employees who were not laid off will be forced to take unpaid time off, the company said.
In February, Dell announced plans to lay off 1,700 workers.
Smartphone-maker Motorola Mobility has laid off about 200 employees at its Chicago headquarters, according to a report by the Chicago Tribune.
Motorola spokeswoman Kathryn Hanley would not confirm the scope of the layoffs, which are part of a previously announced global restructuring under Chinese parent company Lenovo.
The company has been through several rounds of layoffs since being acquired by Lenovo. Motorola Mobility once dominated the cellphone business, and now struggles to compete against Apple and Samsung.
