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.
Manufacturing (20 - 21) Manufacture of chemicals and pharmaceuticals 20 - Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products 20 - Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products
550 jobs Number of planned job losses
Announcement Date
19 March 2026
Employment effect (start)
19 March 2026
Foreseen end date
Description
Lanxess, the German specialty chemicals group, has announced that it plans to cut about 550 jobs worldwide.
According to the restructuring programme, two-thirds of the redundancies will be concentrated in Germany, where the company's headquarters and main production sites are located.
The measure is a response to a prolonged weak market environment and high levels of geopolitical uncertainty that have negatively impacted the chemical industry. CEO Matthias Zachert has indicated that any positive momentum in hiring or growth is not expected until the second half of 2026 at the earliest.
Headquartered in Cologne, Germany, Lanxess employed about 12,300 employees worldwide at the end of 2025.
Previous global restructuring programme of Lanxess has been recorded in the ERM database: Lanxess 2023-WO
.
Eurofound (2026), Lanxess, Internal restructuring in World, factsheet number 204447, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/204447.
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