\n Ericsson, Barcelona. Credit: davide bonaldo, Shutterstock <\/p>\n
Swedish telecoms giant Ericsson will slash over 300 jobs in Spain (about 13 per cent of its workforce) this July as part of a sweeping European reorganisation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The move comes just a year after the company\u2019s Madrid, M\u00e1laga and Barcelona operations avoided global layoffs at its Stockholm HQ.<\/p>\n The cuts will affect roles across Ericsson Spain\u2019s 2,260-strong team, which includes over 800 R&D positions distributed across:<\/p>\n Most Read on Euro Weekly News<\/p>\n These changes follow Ericsson\u2019s decision to reduce its global business units from seven to just four, prompting internal duplication and role elimination. The company admitted that the restructuring \u201cwill create operational efficiencies, which may mean duplicating some functions or making work easier, which will mean eliminating some functions\u201d (Cited by elEconomista.es<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Last year, Ericsson cut 8,500 jobs globally due to a slump in the mobile network equipment market, 1200 of which were in Stockholm, yet Spain was largely untouched until now.<\/p>\n The company had previously described its Spanish subsidiary as \u201cstrategic,\u201d thanks to its close proximity to decision-making at telecom giants like Telef\u00f3nica, Vodafone, and Orange. However, those relationships have shifted due to Orange\u2019s merger with M\u00e1sM\u00f3vil and Vodafone\u2019s acquisition by Zegona.<\/p>\n In June, Ericsson merged its European, Middle Eastern and African operations into a single EMEA region, dissolving its previous MELA (Europe and Latin America) structure. France\u2019s Christian Leon now oversees the European operations, with Ericsson Spain CEO Diego Mart\u00ednez reporting directly to him.<\/p>\n Despite the looming layoffs, Ericsson Spain\u2019s 2024 financial results show growth:<\/p>\n Personnel costs hit nearly \u20ac250 million, 16.8 per cent higher than the year before. Meanwhile:<\/p>\n Last year, the company only laid off 47 employees in Spain<\/a>, highlighting the stark contrast with this year\u2019s 300+ projected cuts.<\/p>\n Ericsson\u2019s decision could mark the beginning of broader layoffs in Europe\u2019s struggling telecom industry.<\/p>\n\n
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