The software giant SAP plans to cut 2,600 jobs in Germany as part of a comprehensive restructuring process. This measure is part of a global restructuring program that was announced in January and affects a total of 8,000 jobs. The goal of the restructuring is to realign SAP more towards strategic growth areas such as Business AI (Artificial Intelligence). A company spokesperson emphasized the careful and empathetic treatment of the affected employees, who will be offered internal job alternatives or voluntary programs, among other things.

The internal details of the job cuts were made known through an email from the European works council, which criticized the planned major restructuring. According to "Handelsblatt," the email complains that management has not sufficiently justified the business logic behind the "Next Level Transformation" program. The name of the program is seen as a euphemistic term for staff reduction.

In addition to cuts in Germany, job reductions are also planned in other European countries, with approximately 4,100 positions expected to be eliminated within the jurisdiction of the European Works Council. SAP plans to complete the restructuring process by the end of the first quarter of 2025 worldwide. At the same time, the company emphasizes its continued investment in key growth areas and expects to end the year 2024 with a stable number of employees.

SAP's realignment is in the context of an industry-wide hype about Artificial Intelligence, fueled by the release of the conversational system ChatGPT. The European software giant is responding to the increasing demand for AI solutions and is trying to secure a share of this promising market. In XETRA trading, SAP shares showed a slight increase of 0.11 percent at 177.59 euros.