Nestle to axe 16,000 jobs around world over next two years in cost-cutting drive

Nestle has unveiled plans to cut around 16,000 jobs around the world over the next two years, as it turns to automation to help reduce costs.

The boss of the consumer goods giant said it needed to “change faster” and secure its future “as a leader in our industry”.

The reductions would include around 12,000 “white-collar professionals” across business functions and geographies.

This was expected to save the company around one billion Swiss francs (£940 million) each year by the end of 2027.

It was also targeting a further 4,000 job cuts across its manufacturing and supply chain.

Nestle, which makes household food brands such as KitKat, Nescafe and Cheerios, has about 277,000 employees in countries across the world.

It had nearly 4,200 employees in the UK business at the end of 2024, according to its most recent accounts, within its head office in Gatwick and a York-based site that makes KitKats.

Nestle said it could not give specific details about the impact of its job cuts in the UK and individual countries.

The Swiss firm said it wanted to focus on being a more efficient organisation, including automating more of its work processes.

Its total cost-savings target, which incorporates the workforce cuts, has risen to three billion Swiss francs (£2.8 billion), up from a previous 2.5 billion Swiss francs (£2.3 billion).

Philipp Navratil, Nestle’s chief executive, said: “The world is changing, and Nestle needs to change faster.

“This will include making hard but necessary decisions to reduce headcount over the next two years. We will do this with respect and transparency.

“The actions we are taking will secure Nestle’s future as a leader in our industry.

“Collectively, they will enable us to improve our overall performance and deliver shareholder value.”

Mr Navratil also said the company would be “prioritising the opportunities and businesses with the highest potential returns”.

The chief executive replaced former boss Laurent Freixe who was dismissed last month after an investigation into an undisclosed romantic relationship with an employee.

Nestle’s cost-cutting drive comes as it recorded sales 65.9 billion Swiss francs (£61.5 billion) for the first nine months of 2025.

This was 1.9% lower than the same period a year ago. despite a 2.8% increase in prices.

Coffee, sweets and chocolate sales were the biggest drivers of growth, with prices surging by more than 10% in some markets.