Verizon has begun another round of workforce reductions in the United States, cutting several hundred employees less than six months after eliminating 13,000 roles across the company.
The telecom group confirmed the latest layoffs to Business Insider, though it declined to disclose an exact figure. The company said the cuts account for less than 1 per cent of its overall workforce.
The reductions affect employees across multiple US operations, particularly smaller business units, with the largest concentration of cuts reported at Verizon’s headquarters in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.
The latest move underscores how major telecom operators continue tightening costs even as they invest in network expansion, customer retention and artificial intelligence-driven efficiencies.
Cost discipline remains central to strategy
Verizon executives have signalled that cost reduction efforts will continue beyond 2026 as the company seeks to improve operating efficiency following last year’s large-scale restructuring.
Speaking during an earnings call last week, chief financial officer Anthony Skiadas said Verizon was now “running leaner” after the 13,000 job cuts announced in November.
The latest workforce reduction was not included in Verizon’s earlier financial outlook, according to the Business Insider report.
A Verizon spokesperson told the publication the company was continuing to hire in areas linked to business growth while reducing headcount in selected functions.
“We’re continuing to add head count to grow parts of the business that are growing while making targeted job reductions to portions of the business where this is needed,” the spokesperson said.
Verizon currently has more than 1,000 open positions listed on its US careers portal, and the company said affected employees are eligible to apply for those roles.
Workforce cuts extend across telecom sector
The latest restructuring at Verizon comes amid broader workforce adjustments across the US telecommunications industry.
Regulatory filings cited by Business Insider showed that rivals AT&T and T-Mobile each planned to cut around 75 jobs in New Jersey this year.
Verizon’s previous layoff round in November affected “every part of the company”, chief executive Dan Schulman said at the time. He linked the reductions to efforts aimed at improving customer satisfaction and operational performance.
Key details from the latest workforce reduction include:
• Several hundred employees affected across the US
• Layoffs account for less than 1 per cent of Verizon’s workforce
• Largest share of cuts concentrated at the Basking Ridge, New Jersey headquarters
• More than 1,000 US vacancies remain open on Verizon’s careers platform
• Cost reduction measures expected to continue beyond 2026
• Verizon says artificial intelligence was not responsible for the latest layoffs
AI reshapes operations without directly driving cuts
Unlike several technology and corporate employers that have explicitly linked workforce reductions to AI adoption this year, Verizon said the latest layoffs were not driven by the technology.
Even so, executives acknowledged that AI is already reshaping operational processes inside the company.
During last week’s earnings call, Schulman said AI had reduced vendor support costs by as much as 70 per cent and improved software code output by 40 per cent.
The comments suggest Verizon is using automation and AI tools to improve efficiency while continuing broader organisational restructuring.
Industry analysts have increasingly pointed to telecom operators facing pressure to balance infrastructure investment with profitability as competition intensifies across wireless and broadband markets.
Hiring and restructuring continue simultaneously
The coexistence of layoffs and active recruitment reflects a broader shift in workforce planning across large corporations.
Rather than implementing blanket hiring freezes, companies are increasingly cutting roles in slower-growth divisions while expanding teams tied to digital operations, customer services and emerging technologies.
For Verizon, the latest reductions indicate that workforce restructuring remains an ongoing process rather than a one-off exercise linked to last year’s layoffs.
The company’s emphasis on operating “leaner” suggests further organisational changes may continue as telecom operators navigate rising costs, evolving technology demands and pressure to improve margins.