Headcount and part-time work

As per the end of 2018, the Group’s headcount had fallen by 0.8 percent year-on-year. Development within the individual segments showed a varied pattern. For example, the headcount in our Germany operating segment was down 3.4 percent, as the combined result of efficiency enhancement measures, fewer hirings in the operating units, and the take-up of socially responsible staff restructuring schemes. As at December 31, 2018, the total headcount in our United States operating segment was up 2.1 percent year-on-year, primarily due to additional hirings in customer service, in the backoffice, and in the networks unit, although this was partially offset by a decrease in customer acquisitions. In our Europe operating segment, the year-end headcount was up 1.5 percent, due in large part to the transfer of personnel from UPC Austria by our Austrian NatCo, and the expansion of services in Croatia. The year-end headcount in our Systems Solutions operating segment was down 1.2 percent net against 2017, primarily as a result of restructuring measures, while the Group Headquarters & Group Services segment reported a 3.9 percent decrease. The headcount reduction associated with ongoing staff restructuring measures at Vivento was partially offset by an increase in the Technology and Innovation unit.

Our strategy to become the leading telecommunications provider in Europe is reflected in the trend in our international employee headcount. The number of employees working at sites outside Germany has risen notably since the turn of the millennium – albeit with fluctuations in some places. Whereas 88.2 percent of company employees were working in Germany in 1999, the rate has leveled at around 50 percent since 2015. The figure for 2018 was 45.5 percent.

The percentage of part-time employees came to around 13 percent in 2018, a slight decrease compared to last year.

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