Germany's Evonik plans to cut 3,200 more jobs by 2029

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Evonik plans to cut 3,200 positions between 2027 and 2029, with 2,150 of those positions coming from its Germany operations. CEO Christian Kullmann attributed the layoff decision to an uncertain global political situation, weak economic growth, and increasingly fierce international competition.

Evonik believes that improving efficiency, advancing digitalization, conducting business outsourcing, and transferring some operations to lower-cost regions will be the main directions going forward. The company will discontinue its global polyester business and close its Witten plant in Germany, which employs 266 people, while cutting 45 jobs in Marl, Germany, and 35 jobs in Shanghai, China. This business segment has failed to achieve profitability for several consecutive years.

The layoffs will be implemented through mechanisms such as voluntary departures, personnel transfers, and retirements, without resorting to compulsory redundancies. Evonik stated that the specific details will be negotiated with employee representatives in the coming weeks. Combined with the approximately 2,800 positions previously planned to be cut between October 2023 and the end of 2026, the two rounds of restructuring will eliminate nearly 6,000 jobs in total. Evonik is a global chemical company headquartered in Essen, Germany, with operations in over 100 countries and regions. In 2025, it achieved sales of €14.1 billion and employed more than 31,000 people worldwide.