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.
Axel Springer, the Berlin-based media conglomerate, has announced significant job cuts as part of a broader restructuring strategy aimed at improving efficiency and adapting to digital transformation.
In Germany, the company plans to cut 130 positions in its corporate holding division through a voluntary redundancy programme agreed with the works council, running until mid-July, to avoid compulsory layoffs. The cuts in Germany exclude editorial teams in the holding, which remains focused on finance and management functions.
In parallel, Axel Springer’s digital media brand Business Insider will lay off 21% of its workforce across all departments. The move will affect about 100 jobs in the United States. The company also outsourced its job board business, Stepstone, to North American investor.
These measures are part of a strategic shift focusing on artificial intelligence, live journalism, and stronger editorial content, while reducing reliance on traffic-driven and commerce-based content.
Axel Springer, owner of major media brands such as Bild, Welt, Politico, and Morning Brew, is repositioning itself for long-term resilience amid platform decline and rising AI adoption. Axel Springer operates in more than 40 countries. In 2024, the Group employed about 18,000 people worldwide.
Eurofound (2025), Axel Springer, Internal restructuring in World, factsheet number 202926, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/202926.