Restructuring events
European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)
The restructuring events database contains factsheets with data on large-scale restructuring events reported in the principal national media and company websites in each EU Member State. This database was created in 2002.
French aircraft manufacturer Airbus Group has announced that it will cut 2,500 jobs worldwide by mid-2026.
The layoffs will affect the company’s site in France, Germany, Spain and the UK. So far, there is no detailed information on how the cuts will be distributed between the countries. The sources provide that governments of the four host nations have been briefed on the restructuring plans. The restructuring programme will affect jobs at its Defence and Space division, which presently employs a workforce of 35,000. This decision comes as the company faces challenges in its space-related operations, leading to a loss in recent quarters. The cuts are expected to come through early retirement programmes and voluntary departures. The full impact of these cuts is still under negotiation with employee representatives according to local regulations.
The restructuring plan is part of a broader effort to improve the company's operational efficiency. Despite increased defense spending in Europe following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Airbus has not seen significant gains in this sector, with much of the spending going to non-European suppliers.
Airbus designs, manufactures, and delivers aerospace products and services to its customers. The company employs about 148,000 people worldwide and operates in Europe, in the U.S., in Africa, in the Middle East, and in Asia.
In 2022, Airbus announced a global business expansion, creating 6,000 new jobs. In 2020, Airbus announced a worldwide restructuring plan to cope with the COVID-19 crisis, with 14,900 job cuts AIRBUS-2020-WO
UPDATE 4/12/2024:
It is announced that Airbus lowered the number of job cuts in its Defence & Space unit by mid-2026 from 2,500 to 2,043. The job cuts will impact 303 positions in Spain: Airbus 2024 - ES, 477 in the United Kingdom, 540 in France Airbus 2024 - FR, 689 in Germany Airbus 2024 - DE, and 34 positions in other countries. The job cuts represent 5% of the division, which presently has a workforce of approximately 35,000. Specifically, 1,128 of these reductions will be made in the 'Space Systems' department.
Eurofound (2024), Airbus, Internal restructuring in World, factsheet number 201833, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://dev.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/201833.
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