Archive · 7 Oct 2026
Royal Mail Plans Up to 2,500 Support Job Cuts
Royal Mail wants to remove up to 2,500 jobs in its offices and support teams by the end of 2027.
It says the changes will remove duplicated work and help it improve its service.
The proposed cuts do not include posties or drivers.
The company says it plans to use voluntary departures and people leaving naturally, not compulsory redundancies.
Royal Mail is dealing with a big drop in the number of letters people send.
More customers are using parcel delivery instead.
A union has criticised the plans and says the company is failing staff and customers.
Royal Mail has also missed its targets for delivering letters on time.
The challenge is to save money while making deliveries more reliable.
Royal Mail plans to cut up to 2,500 head-office and support jobs by the end of 2027.
The proposed reductions exclude frontline posties and drivers and are expected to rely on voluntary redundancies and natural departures.
Royal Mail says the changes will remove duplication and help redirect investment toward improving its service.
Letter volumes have fallen by more than 70 per cent from their peak as customers increasingly rely on parcels.
In 2025/26, Royal Mail delivered 75.7 per cent of first-class letters within one working day, below the 93 per cent target.
- Who
- Royal Mail, its head-office and support staff, and the Communication Workers' Union and Unite.
- What
- Royal Mail plans to cut up to 2,500 head-office and support jobs.
- When
- The reductions are expected by the end of 2027.
- Where
- The United Kingdom.
- Why
- Royal Mail says falling letter volumes and the need to simplify operations make the changes necessary, while it seeks to improve its service.
Royal Mail's rationale
Union criticism
Purpose of the proposed cuts
Royal Mail's rationale
Royal Mail says removing duplication and simplifying operations will help it invest further in customer service.
Union criticism
The Communication Workers' Union says the plans show a company demoralising staff and failing customers and the wider community.
Response to Royal Mail's difficulties
Royal Mail's rationale
Royal Mail is seeking efficiency as letter volumes fall and demand shifts toward parcels.
Union criticism
The union has urged the government to confront what it describes as a collapsing Royal Mail and intervene to save the institution.
- Planned job reductions
- Up to 2,500
- Target date
- By the end of 2027
- Roles affected
- Head-office and support functions
- Roles excluded
- Frontline posties and drivers
- Workforce reduction method
- Voluntary redundancies and natural departures, according to Royal Mail
- First-class on-time delivery
- 75.7 per cent delivered within one working day in 2025/26, against a 93 per cent target
- Second-class on-time delivery
- 90.2 per cent delivered within three working days, against a 98.5 per cent target
- Investment commitment
- £500 million over five years to improve delivery performance