Swiss telecoms operator Sunrise will cut 358 jobs at the end of the consultation procedure, compared with the 450 announced in mid-September 2026. The Zurich-based group said so in a press release published on Friday, 23 October 2026. The layoffs will be issued in early November, with a social plan and a voluntary departure offer.
Sunrise trims its plan by 92 jobs
The consultation brought the number of job cuts down by about a fifth. Sunrise goes from 450 to 358 jobs, 92 fewer than in its initial announcement.
In September, the group spoke of "up to 450 full-time equivalents" out of the 2,900 it employs. The final figure is expressed in jobs. The source does not specify whether it is also measured in full-time equivalents.
If the two figures can be compared directly, the cut affects just over 12% of the workforce. The September plan targeted nearly 16%.
| Stage | Jobs cut | Share of the 2,900 full-time equivalents |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-September 2026 announcement | up to 450 | about 15.5% |
| After consultation, 23 October 2026 | 358 | about 12.3% |
| Difference | 92 fewer | about 3 points |
Voluntary departures and social plan
Sunrise is now encouraging voluntary departures in certain selected business areas. Employees who choose to leave can benefit from the social plan. The company describes this plan as "robust" in its press release.
A spokesperson told the AWP news agency that the layoffs will be issued in early November.
The Syndicom union stresses the human cost of the restructuring. "For all those affected, these job cuts remain painful," it writes in a press release. It considers it "all the more important that the number of layoffs has been reduced" and that those affected benefit from a satisfactory social plan "to cushion the blow".
Where are the cuts at Sunrise?
The final breakdown of the 358 jobs is not detailed in the published information. In September, the company had specified that employees in shops, sales and customer service would be largely spared.
Apprentices, for their part, were to be entirely excluded from the workforce reductions. The October press release, as reported by AWP, does not say whether these guarantees remain unchanged.
A second wave of layoffs in 2026
This restructuring comes on top of a first wave announced in February 2026. Sunrise had then announced the dismissal of 147 people.
Taken together, the two plans affect 505 jobs in less than a year. The total is only indicative, as it combines people dismissed in February and jobs cut in October.
The group presents this second wave as a repositioning of its activities. It is aiming for "substantial savings" in the medium term, without putting a figure on the amount in the available information.
What this changes for jobs and customers in Switzerland
For employment, the announcement comes from the number two in the telecoms sector. The reduction of 92 jobs limits the scale of the cut without changing its nature: the group's workforce is shrinking for the second time this year.
For customers, the available information points to no change in offers or prices. The retention, announced in September, of the shop, sales and customer service teams concerns precisely the functions in direct contact with customers.
What we don't know yet
- The number of voluntary departures among the 358 jobs, and therefore the number of actual layoffs in early November.
- The business areas open to voluntary departures.
- The breakdown of the cuts by function and by site, and whether the September guarantees are maintained.
- The amount of savings targeted in the medium term.
- The detailed content of the social plan.
- Any link with competition and prices on the Swiss telecoms market, on which the published excerpts of the press release do not comment.
Sources
- Allnews (AWP dispatch), Sunrise waters down its plan for restructuring, 358 jobs cut, 23 October 2026.
