The German specialty chemicals company announced this on Monday. This affects around 1,500 positions in Germany, primarily at lower management levels.
“The many crises around the world ruined our results, but we escaped with a black eye,” said CEO Christian Kullmann. High energy prices and a weak economy are affecting the chemical industry. In 2023, Evonik sales fell by 17 percent to 15 billion euros, with a decline in adjusted Ebitda (earnings before interest and taxes) from 2.5 to around 1.7 billion euros.
According to Evonik, the production sites in Austria remained unaffected by the job cuts. Around 100 employees work in Weißenstein near Villach, and 250 in Schörfling and Lenzing. In the fall, Evonik announced that it would expand its plants in Upper Austria by around 50 million euros.
