Microsoft, Lenovo and Qualcomm made deep job cuts in 2015

Wireless industry layoffsA low unemployment rate of 5.1 percent may be promising, but a number of factors such as a slowing Chinese economy and a weak European market are forcing a number of wireless companies to cut jobs.

FierceWireless takes a look at companies with the highest number of job cuts in the wireless industry in its new feature, From Ericsson to Qualcomm to Microsoft: The top wireless job cuts of 2015.

Among the hardest hit companies are those in the the handset industry segment. HTC and Lenovo, as well as Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) have had to deal with a host of macroeconomic challenges,  realign their strategies and reduce costs. Microsoft, for example, has laid off almost all of the workforce it gained from Nokia as it shifts away from the smartphone market.

Other vendors like Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) cut jobs as part of its move toward a software-centric business model, while Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM), pressured by Chinese rivals and slower smartphone growth, also cut some of its workforce. Check out FierceWireless' new feature here.