Qualcomm employees facing layoffs in India are reportedly being offered an unusual incentive to leave sooner. The U.S.-based semiconductor giant is offering an additional month’s salary to employees who agree to its separation terms within three days, as the company begins a fresh round of workforce reductions across its global operations.
The layoffs, which began affecting Qualcomm’s Bengaluru and Hyderabad offices on Nov. 9, are part of a broader restructuring exercise that could put more than 1,000 jobs in India at risk, according to people familiar with the developments.
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The first round has reportedly affected senior engineers and employees with several years of experience at the company. The exercise is expected to extend to Qualcomm’s engineering and research facilities in Delhi-NCR and Chennai in the coming days, Moneycontrol reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Although Qualcomm has not officially disclosed the number of positions it plans to eliminate in India, the restructuring could affect around 5% to 6% of its estimated 20,000 employees in the country.
The reported severance package includes compensation equivalent to three to five months’ salary, along with additional payments based on employees’ tenure. Those who sign their exit documents within three days are reportedly being offered another month’s salary as an incentive to accept the separation terms early.
Qualcomm has not publicly confirmed these severance arrangements.
Qualcomm’s global workforce restructuring
The job cuts in India follow a global workforce reduction announced by Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon on Oct. 20. The company said the restructuring would follow its annual performance review process and described the exercise as a way to improve accountability and align its workforce with changing business priorities.
However, reports that senior engineers and experienced employees are among those affected have raised questions about the extent of the restructuring. While Qualcomm has presented the exercise as performance-focused, the scale and nature of the reported cuts also point to a broader effort to streamline its workforce and control costs.
The restructuring comes at a challenging time for the global semiconductor industry. Smartphones remain Qualcomm’s biggest revenue contributor, but the company is also trying to expand its presence in artificial intelligence, automotive technology, connected devices and data-center semiconductors.
The company is also reviewing its workforce in the United States. According to Investing.com, Qualcomm was expected to file layoff notifications in California under the state’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. The law requires qualifying employers to provide advance notice before certain large-scale workforce reductions.
The latest developments highlight how Qualcomm’s restructuring is extending beyond individual markets, with employees in both India and the United States facing uncertainty as the company reassesses its workforce and future business priorities.
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The layoffs at Qualcomm come as other major U.S. semiconductor companies are also reassessing their workforce amid changing business priorities and pressure to control costs. Intel, one of Qualcomm’s biggest competitors, has been carrying out a major restructuring, including workforce reductions across its operations as it attempts to streamline its business and strengthen its position in the semiconductor market. Micron Technology has also announced job cuts as part of its restructuring efforts, while Broadcom has undertaken workforce reductions in recent years.
These developments point to wider changes across the semiconductor industry, where companies are balancing operational costs with investments in artificial intelligence, data centers and next-generation chip technologies.