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.
Lanxess, a German chemicals company, announced the reduction of approximately 367 jobs in Germany, as part of a worldwide reduction of 550 jobs Lanxess 2026 - WO, affecting administrative functions, particularly at its sites in Cologne and Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia.
The job cuts are part of additional cost-reduction measures introduced for 2026 and are expected to be implemented gradually until the end of 2028. The restructuring is driven by weak demand, low capacity utilisation, and broader economic challenges in the chemical industry. Of the planned job reductions in Germany, all are expected to be carried out through natural attrition and demographic effects, with the company aiming to avoid compulsory redundancies. The implementation process is ongoing, and no direct dismissals have been announced.
The trade union IGBCE criticised the announcement, stating that employees must not bear the main burden of the crisis. It emphasised the need for socially responsible implementation, the avoidance of compulsory redundancies, and clear future prospects for the affected sites. The union also called for investments, long-term strategies, and stronger commitments to maintaining industrial employment, and announced it would closely monitor the process.
Lanxess is a German multinational chemicals company headquartered in Cologne, operating in 32 countries and employing approximately 11,700 people worldwide. The company reported revenues of around €5.7 billion in 2025.
A similar restructuring by Lanxess was recorded by the ERM events database in 2023, where 870 jobs Lanxess 2023 - WO cut globally, out of which 460 in Germany Lanxess 2023 - DE.
Eurofound (2026), Lanxess, Internal restructuring in Germany, factsheet number 204473, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/204473.