Nokia Layoffs: Since this is a global restructuring, it will impact every region. India will also be affected. Not only the Indian business, but all functions, including common/global functions, will be affected.
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Layoffs Update: Nokia is preparing for another round of layoffs in India. Moneycontrol has learned from sources that the company estimates it will reduce its global workforce of 74,100 employees by up to 20 percent over time. Similar job cuts are expected in its India unit. As part of the changes, Samar Mittal has been promoted to India Country Business Leader. He will now oversee the entire client portfolio from start to finish. Vibha Mehra has been promoted to India Country Manager.
These promotions will be effective April 1, 2026. Additionally, Tarun Chhabra has stepped down as India Country Head. Nokia CEO Justin Hotard announced a major structural change in November 2025, which will be implemented by 2026. Under this, the company will be divided into two main segments—network infrastructure and mobile infrastructure. Businesses outside of the core priorities have been set aside for potential divestiture or review. This move is part of efforts to streamline operations and adapt to emerging AI-based demand.
Prior to 2023, under the leadership of former CEO Pekka Lundmark, Nokia was divided into three business groups – Mobile Networks (MN), Network Infrastructure (NI), and Cloud and Network Services (CNS). The structure under which Nokia operated prior to 2023 involved sales teams managing end-to-end customer relationships. This structure was eliminated during the transition to a vertical model, which also eliminated several central positions related to customer experience, sales, and marketing.
The company is returning to the old horizontal structure.
A company source told Moneycontrol, “However, that change did not yield the expected results, which is why the decision has been made to return to the old horizontal structure.” According to sources, this latest restructuring is expected to result in job cuts, especially since the new roles created after the major 2023 restructuring could be eliminated under the new strategy. Another source told Moneycontrol, “The overall layoff figure in India could be around 20 percent. Since this is a global restructuring, it will impact every sector. Therefore, India will also be affected. It will impact not only the Indian business, but all the different functions, including the common/global functions. The rationale behind this is that the CNS and MN are being merged, leading to duplication of work in many common functions.”
A Nokia India spokesperson said in a statement to Moneycontrol, “Nokia will leverage the expertise of two of its senior executives to further strengthen its presence in India and provide better services to customers. This is in line with Nokia’s global strategy, which was announced in November 2025. Nokia does not comment on matters related to individual employees.” However, the company did not respond to questions regarding layoffs across various departments due to the restructuring. According to a source, the layoffs will impact employees working in non-core businesses across the world, including India, as they are not part of the main priorities.
Nokia’s global workforce has steadily declined over the past few years.
Globally, Nokia’s workforce has steadily declined over the past few years. In 2018, two years after acquiring Alcatel-Lucent, the company had approximately 103,000 employees. By the end of 2024, this number had dropped to 75,600. According to the company’s annual report, Nokia slowed down the pace of layoffs slightly in 2025. Approximately 1,500 positions were eliminated, bringing the total number of employees to approximately 74,100 by the end of the year.
However, Nokia’s permanent workforce in India has seen a slight increase. In 2024, the number of employees increased to 17,708 in 2025. In 2023, the number was significantly higher at 18,200. Globally, reports from December 2025 indicated that Nokia was proposing to cut 300 more jobs in Greece and Italy. This is in addition to the 700 job cuts in Germany and 427 in France.
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