Royal Dutch Shell will slash as many as 9,000 jobs as the oil giant accelerates a shift away from fossil fuels.
The Anglo-Dutch company said Wednesday that it would cut between 7,000 and 9,000 positions by the end of 2022, potentially affecting more than 10% of its workforce. The total includes 1,500 people who have volunteered to leave the company this year according to CNN.
The job losses are part of an overhaul aimed at cutting costs and simplifying the company’s structure as it moves into low-carbon energy. Shell (RDSA) expects the overhaul to deliver annual cost savings of up to $2.5 billion by 2022.
“We have to be a simpler, more streamlined, more competitive organization that is more nimble and able to respond to customers,” CEO Ben van Beurden said in a statement. “Make no mistake: this is an extremely tough process. It is very painful to know that you will end up saying goodbye to quite a few good people,” he added.
The huge slump in demand for oil and gas caused by the coronavirus pandemic is pushing some of Europe’s biggest energy companies to speed up a shift to cleaner fuels. In June, Shell wrote down the value of its assets by as much as $22 billion and slashed its oil price forecasts.
Shell has committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions from its own operations by 2050. Van Beurden said Wednesday that the company would still produce some oil and gas by that date, but it would “predominantly” sell low-carbon electricity, low-carbon biofuels and hydrogen.
Source: CNN