Windstream announced 170 layoffs, or 2.3% of their 7,400 person workforce. Windstream says it’s “restructuring its workforce to adjust to business needs and control expenses in a challenging economy.” They join AT&T who also announced a reduction in force of 12,000 today. As I hypothesized in my AT&T layoff post, I suspect we’ll see a series of layoff announcements in the coming months for the telecom sector. The bad economy creates a climate “just right” for layoff announcements. Windstream’s actions demonstrate that workforce restructuring won’t just be limited to large players. In fact, I suspect we’ll see a changing of the “telecom guard” over the next few years, as layoffs, attrition, and retirements reshape the industry. It’s no coincidence that these changes coincide with the network shift from wireline TDM to IP and wireless.