What happened
Telus is offering voluntary buyout packages to hundreds more employees as it pushes customers toward self-serve options, as reported by Talent Canada. The United Steelworkers union said the offers go to nearly 700 more workers across the country, including more than 500 of its members.
The union's Local 1944 represents around 4,000 Telus employees. It said the offers affect workers in Telus Business Solutions operations in B.C., Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, who have until Jan. 21 to decide.
A Telus spokesperson said the packages belong to the same voluntary separation program begun in 2025, driven by industry change and rising customer demand for self-serve tools. She said the packages exceed Canada Labour Code requirements and let people retire or move on to a career elsewhere. Telus expects only a small number of those approached to accept, and reserves the right to limit departures. Last February the union said Telus made two earlier waves of offers, to 545 and then 560 workers. The union opposes the cuts and argues they will hurt service quality.
Why it matters if you are hiring
People who take buyouts, and people who see more coming, start looking at the market. Telus says few will accept this round. Even so, the pattern of repeated waves means experienced customer service, business solutions and support staff in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and B.C. will be weighing their options through 2026.
That is a hiring opening if you run a service, sales support or account management team. These workers know complex customer issues, handle escalations and work with business clients. Those skills carry over well to operations coordination, client success and inside support roles in other industries.
It is also a signal for your own planning. Self-serve tools are changing how large employers staff service work. Fewer entry-level queue roles, more demand for people who handle the cases that tools cannot. If you are rebuilding a service team, write the role around problem solving and ownership, not call volume.
Expect some candidates to arrive with a payout and no urgency. Be ready to move on a clear offer and a clear scope of work, since they can afford to wait for the right fit.
One thing to do this week
List the service and support roles you may need to fill in the next two quarters, and rewrite each posting to name the skills that transfer from a telecom business-client environment: escalation handling, account ownership and technical troubleshooting. Then decide your pay range before the first conversation.
Traverse helps Canadian employers reach experienced operations, contract and sales support professionals who are ready to move, and we screen for the skills the role actually needs.