Telus is technically getting bigger, but not here on home soil. According to the company’s 2025 annual report released last Thursday, the Vancouver-based telecom added nearly 5,000 global workers last year while cutting 2,800 jobs in Canada.
Most of this growth is coming from Telus Digital, the company’s AI and data outsourcing wing. That division added 6,100 people to keep up with the global appetite for AI services. Meanwhile, the traditional side of the business, including phone and internet services and Telus Health, actually lost 1,400 staff. In fact, those losses would have looked even worse if Telus hadn’t bought a U.S. health firm that brought along 1,300 international employees.
The shift away from Canadian labour has been massive over the past decade. Back in 2015, over half of the Telus workforce was based in Canada. By 2020, that dropped to 35 per cent, and today it sits at just 22 per cent.
Telus spokesperson Steve Beisswanger told the Globe and Mail that the “economics of the sector,” specifically falling cellphone prices in Canada, is forcing the company to change how it spends money. Like its rivals Bell and Rogers, Telus is trying to lower expenses and pay down debt. To do that, they are leaning heavily on automation. This year, they offered buyouts to roughly 700 people, including technicians and call centre agents, as more customers move toward self-serve options.
Telus isn’t the only one slimming down. Bell cut 1,700 net jobs in 2025 as it deals with slow growth and heavy competition. Rogers technically added 1,000 people, but only because they bought a majority stake in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which added 3,000 employees to their books. Without that deal, Rogers’ headcount would have also been in the red.
By moving more operations abroad and merging its digital business back into the fold, Telus says it expects to save up to $200 million every year.
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