PETALING JAYA: Another round of staff reduction can be expected at Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) this year, following the “overwhelming response” for its manpower optimisation programme. The telecommunications giant had cut its staff count by 37% between its peak in 2014 and the end of 2024. Despite this, its underlying staff costs have held in a tight range of RM2.3bil to RM2.6bil between 2015 and 2024, according to an analysis by CGS International Research (CGSI Research). Quoting TM management, CGSI Research said the strong response for the previous manpower optimisation programme was due to the “generous terms”. Looking forward, the research house’s earnings estimates for TM have been adjusted to reflect the added manpower optimisation costs this year.

Source: The Star January 16, 2026 02:04 UTC