Telia job cuts could reach up to 600 positions in the first quarter of 2026, after the telecoms operator informed staff about planned reductions that are expected to hit Finland and Sweden the hardest. In Finland, the process is unfolding through statutory change negotiations, while in Sweden union talks have already started.
Sweden and Finland account for most planned cuts
According to Swedish broadcaster SVT, Telia has told employees that up to 600 roles could be cut during the first quarter of 2026. Of these, around 215 jobs are linked to Telia’s Swedish operations, and around 280 positions to Telia’s Finnish business.
In Sweden, the company has begun negotiations with unions and expects to inform affected employees during February 2026, according to a written statement sent by Telia’s communications chief Tobias Gyhlénius to the Swedish news agency TT.
In Finland, Yle reports that Telia Finland has launched change negotiations (muutosneuvottelut) covering around 2,000 roles in total, with a potential reduction of about 200 jobs. The company said the negotiations in different units are expected to conclude during February 2026.
Why Telia says it is cutting roles while hiring new ones
Telia frames the move as part of a broader effort to simplify and speed up its organisation, while protecting investment priorities.
In Finland, Telia Finland CEO Holger Haljand said the company is focusing on core business growth and investing in quality, security and support for critical operations. Telia has also said it intends to increase investment linked to security and defence, including so-called dual-use technologies that can support critical national operations.
At the same time, Telia says that it expects around 150 new roles to be created in parallel with the reductions, including jobs linked to business- and society-critical connectivity.
What Telia is and where it operates
Telia Company is a Stockholm-headquartered telecoms group that provides mobile and fixed broadband connectivity, as well as network and digital services to consumers, businesses and public-sector clients. The group’s core footprint is in the Nordic and Baltic region, with major operations including Sweden and Finland, and additional businesses in Norway and the Baltics.
Because Telia’s networks are part of many countries’ critical infrastructure, workforce changes at the company are closely watched by regulators, unions and large public-sector customers — especially when restructurings are linked to cybersecurity and resilience investments.
Is the impact wider than Finland and Sweden
So far, the only country figures that have been widely reported for the first-quarter 2026 programme are those for Finland (about 280 positions) and Sweden (about 215 jobs).
However, Telia’s message to employees describes a review across its “local markets and units”, and the overall total of up to 600 roles implies that roughly 100 positions could be tied to other parts of the group.
There is also evidence of parallel workforce restructuring outside the Nordics. On 7 January, Telia’s Lithuanian listed unit, Telia Lietuva, announced a reorganisation of its Digital & Technology unit that it said would reduce its workforce by 59 positions, citing increased use of digital and AI tools.
In Norway, Telia has carried out separate rounds of staff reductions in recent years, but those have not been formally linked to the specific “up to 600” figure reported for early 2026.
What is known about services and next steps
Telia has said the planned changes in Finland do not affect consumer customer service or Telia’s retail stores. The company also says it will continue to invest in mobile network development, service quality and cybersecurity solutions.
The next milestones will come in February, when Finnish change negotiations and Swedish union talks are expected to reach conclusions, and when Telia says it will be able to provide clearer information to employees about which functions will be affected.
If the cuts extend beyond Sweden and Finland, the decisions could become part of a broader debate in the Nordic region about how telecoms operators balance cost control with resilience investments — particularly as governments and regulators increasingly treat networks, data centres and cybersecurity as strategic infrastructure.
