Samsung Electronics has started laying off employees in India amid weaker consumer demand and reduced margins in its core smartphone business, according to a report by The Economic Times.
The layoffs are being carried out in batches, with around 80-100 executives in the television and home appliance businesses reportedly having been asked to leave so far.
According to the report, which cited multiple industry executives, those affected include director-level officials and team leads at the company’s headquarters, as well as branch and area managers at its operating branches.
One affected employee told ET that Samsung has been issuing termination letters daily over the past few days.
Employees being laid off have reportedly been asked to leave without serving their notice periods. The company is offering three months’ salary along with an additional month’s pay for every year of service as severance.
An executive told the outlet that of the 550-600 executives working in the sales and marketing workforce of the electronics business, up to 25% could be let go. This includes off-roll employees hired through manpower agencies.
“There’s manpower rationalisation in the home appliance and television businesses. The second round can happen after Diwali,” another executive added.
While the television and home appliance businesses have been affected, executives said Samsung India’s smartphone division will remain unaffected by the layoffs, at least for now.
“There will be no immediate job cuts in the mobile phone business as this is its bread and butter and the company expects a rebound in sales during Diwali. However, it might get evaluated later,” the executive added.
According to the latest data from IDC and Counterpoint Research, Samsung has the second-highest smartphone market share in India in 2026, accounting for around 16.4% and 17.6% of the market respectively in Q2 2026.
Samsung, which in January this year pledged to invest $648 billion in AI in its home country over the next decade, has also been restructuring its businesses in other markets.
In July, reports said Samsung had announced job cuts in its consumer electronics business in the US following surging profits in its chip division.
According to Reuters, Samsung made more than 700 cuts across its US display, phone and other consumer electronics operations, with most of the affected workers based in New Jersey and Texas.
Documents seen by Reuters confirmed that the unit notified some employees at the end of June about an “enterprise-wide reduction-in-force”, adding that there were a “significant number of impacts”.
Samsung said the restructuring was aimed at optimising certain functions and ensuring that “our roles align to key business priorities”.
