Finnish postal operator Posti Group has announced that the number of job cuts taking place at the company will be significantly lower than first predicted.
Last month the group said that up to 860 jobs could be lost in order to offset a predicted downturn in net sales of 75m (US$82m) for 2016. The post had said that the job cuts were necessary in order to combat the changes arising from digitization and the reduction in mail volumes.
Posti has now announced that there will be a maximum of 181 layoffs, thanks largely to the group’s staff redistribution program Uusi Polku (New Path). The post will also move 198 employees into part-time jobs.
Jaana Jokinen, senior vice president of human resources, Posti, said, “We are pleased that we can implement the required changes with fewer personnel reductions than expected. We managed to reduce the number of layoffs through the Uusi Polku support program and different voluntary and retirement arrangements.”
In 2015, the number of letters and other addressed shipments delivered by Posti decreased by 102 million, or 8%, when compared with the previous year. This led to a loss in income of approximately 75m (US$82m), with the same expected for 2016. The job cuts concerned approximately 7,600 staff out of a total of more than 21,000 employees.
March 23, 2016