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 Manufacture of wood and paper materials Manufacture of paper and paper products 17.21 - Manufacture of corrugated paper, paperboard and containers of paper and paperboard
650 jobs Number of planned job losses
Announcement Date
30 April 2025
Employment effect (start)
30 April 2025
Foreseen end date
30 August 2025
Description
Smurfit Westrock, a global leader in paper-based packaging solutions, has announced that it plans to cut approximately 650 employees worldwide.
The company will permanently close its coated recycled board mill in St. Paul, Minnesota, laying off 189 workers starting June 30, and will cease production at its containerboard mill in Forney, Texas, impacting 200 employees. Simultaneously, consultations have begun with works councils in Germany regarding the closure of two converting facilities.
These measures are part of Smurfit Westrock's broader strategy to optimise its operational footprint following the 2024 merger of Smurfit Kappa and WestRock. The closures are expected to reduce the company’s containerboard and coated recycled board production capacity by more than 500,000 tons annually. Severance packages and support for career transitions or relocation will be offered in line with company policy and labour agreements. The restructuring will cost an estimated $99 million in pre-tax charges, including $42 million for severance.
Smurfit Westrock employs around 100,000 people across 40 countries.
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.
The retail banking sector is fertile ground for studying the impacts of digitalisation on work and employment. Financial services are increasingly provided online, without the intermediary of customer-facing institutions.
European labour markets have recovered strongly from COVID-19. By the end of 2021, little more than 18 months after the start of the pandemic, employment rates in the EU were almost at pre-crisis levels.
