Pharma
Bayer accelerates corporate restructuring and cuts 3,200 jobs
Bayer is accelerating its corporate restructuring through job cuts and organizational reorganizations.
Bayer is rapidly advancing its comprehensive corporate restructuring: Approximately 70% of all teams are already working within the new organizational model, as CEO Bill Anderson announced to the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung." By the end of the year, 80 to 90% of the workforce is expected to be transitioned, significantly earlier than the originally planned deadline of fall 2025.
The restructuring aims to make administration and sales more efficient by reducing numerous levels of hierarchy. Decisions are to be made more quickly, with an increased focus on the customer. Particularly in management, positions will be reduced in order to achieve the targeted annual savings of two billion euros from 2026 onwards.
In the first half of the year, 3,200 jobs have already been cut, and similar reductions are expected in the second half, without a specific target being mentioned. Overall, Bayer employed just under 96,600 full-time employees as of the end of June. These measures aim not only to increase the company's agility but also to reduce the high debt that resulted from the acquisition of the US agrochemical group Monsanto in 2018. The associated legal disputes concerning the weed killer glyphosate and the chemical PCB, banned for decades, have already cost Bayer billions.
Anderson emphasized: "Our strategic adjustments are designed to strengthen our position and overcome financial challenges." By reducing hierarchies and focusing on core businesses, Bayer aims to become more agile and cost-efficient in order to counter rising operational costs and lengthy legal disputes.
The ongoing legal issues, particularly the costly lawsuits surrounding glyphosate and PCB, significantly strain the financial stability of the corporation. Despite the successes achieved in the restructuring so far, Bayer continues to face substantial financial challenges that require a swift and sustainable solution.