Sunrise Plans Up to 450 Job Cuts in Switzerland

Up to 450 jobs are now at risk at Sunrise, Switzerland's second-largest telecommunications company, in a restructuring that could affect almost 16% of its workforce. The plan marks the operator's second substantial reduction in headcount in 2026, after it removed 147 positions earlier this year.

Sunrise says the overhaul will bring its organisation closer to three priorities: retaining customers, improving network quality and reliability, and bringing new products and services to market faster. The company has not yet published a final organisational chart or identified the departments that will absorb the largest reductions.

Employees in shops, sales and customer service are expected to be largely protected. Apprentices will not be affected, according to the company. That leaves the impact concentrated elsewhere in the organisation, although Sunrise has not specified where.

The scale of the proposal has put employment at the centre of the company's attempt to lower costs and redirect investment. If all 450 positions disappear, Sunrise could eliminate nearly 600 jobs during 2026, a figure that would reshape its Swiss workforce within a single year.

Sunrise has recorded net losses in each of the three years since 2022, according to its investor relations reports. The latest restructuring is designed to reduce operating costs over the medium term, although the company has not disclosed a savings target.

The programme will extend beyond staffing. Sunrise also plans to review supplier contracts, a move that could affect the wider network of companies providing equipment, technology and services to the telecoms operator. Management has linked the review to a broader examination of how the business operates.

The first round of cuts this year has already produced a measurable target. Chief financial officer Jany Fruytier told AWP in August that the elimination of 147 jobs would reduce personnel costs by about 5%. Sunrise has not said whether the new plan will produce a comparable reduction or how much of the projected savings will come from supplier negotiations.

Telecoms operators face heavy recurring costs as they maintain mobile networks, develop digital services and compete for customers. Sunrise's stated priorities suggest that management wants to shift resources towards functions with a direct effect on retention, reliability and product launches. The details will emerge only after the organisational review is complete.

Artificial intelligence could feature in Sunrise's transformation, according to an unnamed source cited by Swiss financial news site Inside Paradeplatz. Sunrise has not confirmed which technologies it may deploy or whether automation will directly determine the jobs under review.

The company has said that employees in retail, sales and customer service should be largely spared. Apprentices are also excluded from the planned reductions. Sunrise has provided no equivalent protection for other functions, and it has not said whether the final plan will involve redeployment, natural attrition, early retirement or compulsory redundancies.

That uncertainty will shape the consultation process. Sunrise is expected to discuss the proposal with employee representatives and Syndicom during the fourth quarter of 2026. The union has already rejected the cuts and criticised the timing of a second major reduction within months.

Dominik Fitze, a Syndicom spokesman, told AWP: "If you announce massive job cuts for the second time within a few months, you put the entire workforce in a permanent state of emergency." His comment reflects the immediate workplace concern: staff still do not know which teams, locations or roles will be affected while the company continues its review.