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 research-and-development (R&D) division working on advanced network technologies and infrastructure. More than 20 employees from Ericsson’s Business and Cloud Software and Services (BCSS) segment were also up for the chop.

The Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT) 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 toward overcoming the current difficulties and looking to the future prospects of the Genoa site and the group" in that country.

Ericsson employed more than 1,900 workers in Italy as of March 2025. 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 tied 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. The vendor earlier this year was reportedly set to 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.