Rogers Offers Buyout Packages to Roughly Half of 25,000 Employees Amid Cost-Cutting Push

Rogers Communications says it will be offering voluntary buyout packages to roughly half of its 25,000 employees nationwide as it pushes forward with cost-cutting measures amid rising competition and pricing pressure in the wireless market.

The telecom company said the move is part of adjusting to the current business environment, noting that only some Rogers teams will be eligible for the voluntary departure and retirement packages.

“We are taking steps to adjust our cost structure to reflect the business realities of the current environment. As part of this, some teams have chosen to offer voluntary departure and retirement programs to give some employees the choice to decide whether they’d like to stay with the company or begin a new chapter,” company spokesperson Zac Carreiro wrote in an April 27 statement.

The company did not say whether it is aiming for a specific headcount reduction target with the buyout offers.

Eligible employees include some members of Rogers’ corporate and business divisions, although on-air talent, employees of Sportsnet, and union employees are not eligible.

In last week’s release of this year’s first quarter results, Rogers said it aimed to cut 2026 capital expenditures by roughly $1.0 billion–$1.2 billion from 2025 levels, amounting to approximately a 30 percent cut.

The move to cut capital expenditures came after years of increased spending and amid what the company described as recent regulatory decisions and stronger competition.

“Our revised capital expenditure guidance and its flowthrough to free cash flow guidance is a direct reflection of the ongoing impacts from heightened competitive intensity and recent regulatory decisions,” the April 22 report reads, adding that the company’s total service revenue of $4.9 billion as of March 31 this year marked a 10 percent increase from total revenue one year earlier.

Despite stronger first-quarter results and a 32 percent increase in free cash flow, the quarterly report mentioned rising competition and pricing pressure in the wireless market, noting that falling average revenue per user offset subscriber gains in what it described as a “slowing market,” while also saying that lower spending would help accelerate debt reduction.

In terms of recent regulatory decisions, the report cited a Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) ruling last month that banned activation, modification, and cancellation fees that can act as barriers to switching providers.

The company also cited a CRTC ruling from earlier this month that requires companies to provide advance notice to customers prior to their international roaming charges reaching $50, advance notice about expiry of discounts or time-limited promotions, as well as more information required to be included in advance notices about contract expiry.

“We are reviewing the impact of this policy on the fees we charge,” Rogers wrote of the March 12 CRTC ruling on certain fees being banned.