Belgian telecommunications company Proximus announced plans to reduce its workforce “in a controlled and gradual manner” on Friday, with the full extent of job losses to be revealed later in the day as the company unveils its new strategic plan. The move comes as Proximus aims to become a “locally anchored digital infrastructure champion” by 2030, according to a press release from CEO Stijn Bijnens.
The company’s strategy will focus on “reinventing its way of working and focusing on efficiency through simplification and AI, in order to reduce the workload,” a spokesperson said, as reported by Belga news agency. Proximus intends to primarily manage the workforce reduction through attrition, replacing only a portion of employees who retire or leave the company.
The announcement coincides with the presentation of Proximus’s new strategy for both the Belgian market and its international operations. For its international division, which recently incurred a 275 million euro write-down, the company has outlined a plan to return to growth. However, shareholders should anticipate a decrease in dividends. The dividend payout is expected to be 0.60 euros per share for 2025, dropping to 0.30 euros for 2026, before gradually increasing to 0.40 euros in 2027 and 0.50 euros in 2028.
Stijn Bijnens took over as CEO of the Proximus Group on September 1, 2025, having previously served as CEO of Belgian ICT company Cegeka, where he successfully positioned the firm as a leading player in the Belgian and European ICT sectors. Prior to Cegeka, Bijnens was CEO of the Limburg Reconversion Corporation (LRM) starting in 2008, and earlier founded the network security company NetVision, later renamed Ubizen.
Proximus, which employs approximately 13,000 people, reported a turnover of over 6.6 billion euros last year, representing a 1.2 percent increase. The company’s new strategy emphasizes the importance of artificial intelligence and streamlining operations.
