Bharti Airtel staff count shrinks by 1,805; 100,000 telecom jobs at risk

Bharti Airtel has pruned its workforce in the last one year and the company is leaner by 1,805 employees in India. The total employees of the country's top operator stood at 17,657 at the end of September, 2017 as against 19,462 on September 30 last year.

As a result of the pruning, the number of customers per employee increased to 16,960 in the reported period as compared to 14,189 in the same period last year. Revenue per employee per month decreased 4.1 per cent to Rs 31.5 lakh as on September 30, against Rs 32.9 lakh last year. 

In Africa also, the total employees of the company decreased by 321. The staff count at the end of September stood at 3,737 as against 4,058 a year ago.   

According to analysts, thousands of people are likely to lose their jobs as operators fight off hyper competition and declining profits. With consolidation becoming the norm in the market, many employees will get pink slips as there will be overlap of staff for the same work.

Overall, more than 100,000 telecom jobs, including indirect employment, could be at risk.

Overall, the industry is heading towards an era of three-four operators, including state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited.