Qualcomm undertakes a global workforce reduction

More than 1,000 jobs could be at risk in India as Qualcomm undertakes a global workforce reduction, although the U.S. chipmaker has not disclosed how many positions it expects to eliminate in the country.

In an internal memo to employees on October 19, reviewed by Reuters, CEO Cristiano Amon described the exercise as a “performance-focused reduction” following the company’s annual employee reviews. Notifications to affected employees were expected to begin in November

Mr. Amon said the move was intended to build “a stronger performance culture” and address situations where the company “has consistently fallen short of expectations”. Business priorities, organizational requirements, and the skills and expertise required would determine which positions would be eliminated, he added.

Qualcomm did not respond to The Hindu’s queries on whether layoffs had begun in India, how many employees are likely to be affected, which locations and business divisions are involved, or the severance terms.

Pareekh Jain, CEO of EIIRTrend and an IT industry analyst, estimated that around 1,000 Indian employees could be affected. He said the cuts appeared to span organizational levels and were not necessarily performance-based, adding that the company was seeking to reduce global headcount and align costs with business performance.