Telco Workforce Tracker, 2Q26: Headcount still falling by 2% per year, even as telcos accelerate AI efforts

This report is a useful reality check on the linkage between headcount cuts and AI. It shows that the telco workforce has been shrinking for many years, due mainly to automation, not AI. The arrival of LLMs in late 2022 has not substantially changed headcount directions, at least not yet. Global telco employment was 4.291 million in 2Q26, down from 4.380 million in 2Q25, a decline of 2.03%. This is consistent with the long-term rate observed for 4-5 years now, and has not seen an observable increase with the arrival of generative AI.