Ethics in the digital workplace
Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can affect working conditions in a variety of ways and their use in the workplace raises a host of new ethical concerns.
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
Eurofound (2024), Airbus, Internal restructuring in World, factsheet number 201833, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/201833.