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.
The German chemical producer Wacker Chemie plans to cut 1,500 jobs worldwide by the end of 2027, most of them in Germany. Exact figures on how many positions in Germany will be affected have not yet been released. Wacker Chemie employs 8,000 people at its main plant Burghausen (Bavaria), so the job cuts are likely to be strongly felt there.
The company cites high energy costs, bureaucratic expenses, weak demand, and pressure from Chinese competitors as reasons for the cuts. With these job reductions, the company aims to reduce costs.
The company is a leading global supplier of high-purity polysilicon used in the semiconductor industry. The company has 27 production sites worldwide, including Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Czechia, Norway, China, and the United States. Wacker Chemie employs around 16,600 people globally, including 10,700 in Germany. The global restructuring is also documented in the ERM database Wacker Chemie 2025 - WO.
Updated, 13/05/2026 In May 2026, social partners at the establishment level have reached a compromisse on the job reduction scheme already announced by Wacker in 2025. According to the latest news, some 200 jobs will be lost at the Wacker site in Nünchritz (Saxony), 1,300 jobs in Burghausen and 60 jobs in Munich (Bavaria) plus another 50 jobs at other sites Germany. The job reduction is to be realised by a voluntary departure programme, offering early retirement options or severance pay. Moreover, remaining employees will contribute with having their working time and pay cut by 4% until 2028.
Eurofound (2025), Wacker Chemie, Internal restructuring in Germany, factsheet number 203909, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://dev.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/203909.
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