Ericsson withdrew plans to downsize its network operations in Genoa following intervention from the Italian government.

Per Il Sole 24 Ore, Ericsson halted its plans to lay off more than 130 employees at its Genoa office. The U-turn came after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni held talks with Ericsson Italia CEO Andrea Missori over the wider impact on Genoa’s business economy.

Ericsson originally planned to close down the entirety of Genoa Business Area Networks unit, alongside part of another R&D division working on advanced network technologies and infrastructure. Over 20 employees from Ericsson’s Business and Cloud Software and Services (BCSS) segment were also up for the chop.

In an announcement from the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT), it was revealed that Ericsson withdrew the redundancy procedure in favor of voluntary redundancy incentives with a reported payout package equivalent to four years’ salary. The Swedish giant will also aim to fill vacancies at other Ericsson sites both in Italy and abroad.

A statement from Italy’s ministerial seat, Chigi Palace, described Ericsson’s decision as “an important step towards overcoming the current difficulties and looking to the future prospects of the Genoa site and the group in Italia.”

As of March 2025, Ericsson apparently employed over 1,900 workers in Italy. Including Genoa, it has six Italian offices across Milan and Naples, with Pagani and Pisa making up its remaining R&D centers.

The original incentive for the Genoa cuts was put down to internal corporate restructuring, alongside external pressure from what was described as an ongoing decline in the Italian telecommunications market.

Italy is not the only country in Ericsson's corporate crosshairs. Earlier this year, it was revealed the vendor will cut up to 1,600 jobs in its home market of Sweden. The layoffs were said to be part of plans to ensure Ericsson's competitive position.