The Group’s headcount fell by 4.5 percent compared with the end of the prior year. In our Germany operating segment, the number of employees fell by 4.5 percent compared with the end of 2021. This resulted mainly from the use of socially responsible instruments as part of staff restructuring activities, such as dedicated retirement and phased retirement.

The total number of employees in our USA operating segment decreased by 5.6 percent. In our Europe operating segment, the headcount was down 3.5 percent compared with the end of the prior year. Workforce reductions were especially pronounced in Greece, Slovakia, Poland and Croatia. The headcount in our Systems Solutions operating segment was up 4.6 percent against the end of 2021. The effects of our global efficiency enhancement measures on the headcount were offset by increased staff requirements in our growth areas.  In the Group Development operating segment, a sharp year-on-year decrease in headcount of 69 percent occurred. It was due mainly to the sale of T‑Mobile Netherlands as of March 31, 2022. The Group Headquarters & Group Services segment registered a workforce decrease of 5.9 percent in comparison to the end of 2021. It was due mainly to the ongoing staff restructuring in the Technology and Innovation unit, being carried out primarily in connection with a transformation program at Deutsche Telekom IT, and to continued staff restructuring at Vivento.