Comcast's cable unit terminated an unspecified number of employees this week, shortly after the company hinted on its Q3 2022 earnings call that layoffs could be on the way.
A company representative confirmed the move to Fierce. While Comcast did not provide an exact figure for the number of people let go, the representative stated it was a very small portion of its workforce.
As of December 31, 2021, Comcast had approximately 189,000 total employees, including 79,000 in its Cable division, a 10-K filing showed.
The representative said the eliminations were made in Comcast Cable’s field organization across a range of different markets. The cuts spanned different functions, but primarily focused on in-house and back office positions rather than field technicians.
According to the representative, Comcast is working with impacted employees to either help them find other positions within the company or provide outplacement and severance pay. Asked whether additional cuts might be on the way, the representative said the operator had nothing to share at this time.
In September, the company's NBCUniversal business laid off 37 employees when it restructured its E! entertainment brand, The Wrap reported. Last month, Variety reported another 45 Comcast employees lost their jobs when the company decided to shut down its gaming-focused network, G4. And two weeks ago, sources told The Hollywood Reporter NBCU was planning to offer early retirement packages to older employees in an effort to trim staff further.
The move comes after Comcast CFO Mike Cavanagh stated during Q3 earnings last week the company expects to record “severance and other cost reduction-related charges in the fourth quarter,” during which it also expects to lose broadband subscribers. He did not provide further details which might have shed light on the scale of the cuts.
Comcast joins Verizon, Zayo, Cox Communications, Dell and Starry in trimming its workforce, though Starry’s situation is somewhat unique. More on that can be found here.