More Than 1,000 Qualcomm Jobs in India Could Be at Risk, Analyst Says
More than 1,000 Qualcomm jobs in India could be at risk amid a global workforce reduction, according to an estimate by industry analyst Pareekh Jain. Qualcomm has not confirmed the India cuts or said how many positions may be affected.
More than 1,000 jobs at Qualcomm in India could be at risk as the chipmaker reduces its global workforce, an industry analyst estimated on November 11, 2026. Qualcomm has not confirmed layoffs in the country.
The estimate came from Pareekh Jain, chief executive of EIIRTrend. He said the cuts appeared to affect multiple levels and were not necessarily tied to employee performance.
Company has not confirmed India cuts
Jain said Qualcomm was seeking to reduce its global headcount and align costs with business performance. The company has not disclosed how many Indian positions might be eliminated, or which locations and divisions could be affected.
In an internal memo to employees on October 19, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon described the planned reductions as a “performance-focused reduction” following annual employee reviews. Notifications to affected workers were expected to begin in November.
Amon said business priorities, organizational needs, and the skills required would guide decisions. He described the goal as building “a stronger performance culture” and addressing situations where the company “has consistently fallen short of expectations”.
Qualcomm’s annual report, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on November 4, put its global workforce at approximately 57,000 as of September 27, 2026.
India is a major operating base
India, alongside the United States and China, is a key location for Qualcomm’s sales, administrative, and research and development operations. The company has operations in Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Noida, as well as offices in Mumbai and the National Capital Region.
Qualcomm’s 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report said India represented 36% of its global workforce of 50,257, or approximately 18,100 employees. The company reported 15,404 employees in India, including temporary workers, in 2021.
Its 2025 report put global headcount at 52,491 but did not give a country-by-country breakdown.
Revenue fell in fiscal 2026
The workforce reduction comes as Qualcomm reported lower revenue. Fiscal 2026 revenue was $43.12 billion, down 3% year over year. Fourth-quarter revenue fell 8% to $10.32 billion, while non-GAAP net income declined 15% to $11.31 billion.
GAAP net income rose to $13.63 billion, largely because of a substantial tax benefit, the company’s report said.
Alagunambi Welkin, president of the Union of IT and ITES Employees, questioned whether Qualcomm had obtained government approvals for the reported retrenchments. He cited a 100-worker threshold under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, for prior government permission in certain establishments in Tamil Nadu.
