STMicroelectronics’ research and development site in Grenoble, November 13, 2025. FRANCOIS HENRY/REA Columns of smoke rise above the STMicroelectronics factory in Crolles, located in the Grésivaudan valley in Isère, southeastern France. From the outside, the semiconductor production site – a facility manufacturing the strategic materials for electronic chips – appeared to be operating at full capacity. However, six months after the Franco-Italian manufacturer announced it would cut 2,800 jobs worldwide from a total workforce of around 50,000 (including 11,500 in France), with 1,000 departures expected in France by the end of 2027, anxiety has set in. So far, 370 people have reportedly left as part of a workforce and career management plan, according to the Confédération Française de l’Encadrement – Confédération Générale des Cadres (CFE-CGC, a union representing managers and professionals).
This plan follows the group’s reorganization of activities. In Crolles, production of 200mm wafers was set to end by late 2027. “We might be the ‘showcase’ plant for ST, but behind the scenes, there’s the industrial reality,” said Nadia Salhi, central union representative for the Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT, a major left-wing union) and a research and development engineer at the Isère site.
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