Dyson, the renowned UK-based home appliances manufacturer, has announced plans to reduce its UK workforce by approximately 1,000 positions, which accounts for nearly a third of its current UK employees. This decision is part of a broader restructuring initiative aimed at adapting to changing market conditions and preparing for future growth.
The job cuts were communicated to employees on Tuesday, as reported by the Financial Times. Despite these layoffs, Dyson is committed to retaining its research and development hub in the UK, ensuring that innovation remains central to its operations. The engineers and researchers at this campus play a crucial role in developing the next-generation technologies that underpin Dyson’s product lineup. The company currently employs 3,500 people in the UK and has a global workforce of around 14,000 as of the end of the previous year.
“We have grown quickly, and like all companies, we review our global structures from time to time to ensure we are prepared for the future,” said Chief Executive Officer Hanno Kirner, who assumed his role earlier this year. “As such, we are proposing changes to our organisation, which may result in redundancies.”
Dyson’s latest financial accounts, submitted in October of the previous year, showed a slight decline in pre-tax annual profits to £9.6 million for 2022, down from £10.2 million the previous year. This dip was primarily due to a decrease in the number of goods sold. The current restructuring and job cuts are part of an effort to streamline operations and enhance profitability in an increasingly competitive market.
CEO Hanno Kirner said in a statement, “Dyson operates in increasingly fierce and competitive global markets, in which the pace of innovation and change is only accelerating. We are proposing changes to our organisation, which may result in redundancies, to ensure we remain competitive and continue to lead in innovation.”
Dyson joins a growing list of major companies implementing workforce reductions as part of restructuring efforts. So far, 360 tech companies have laid off 104,410 employees in 2024, including giants like Google, Microsoft, and Apple, as economic uncertainties continue to impact the tech sector.
In May, Google laid off nearly 200 employees from its core engineering teams in Sunnyvale, California, as part of Alphabet’s broader downsizing plan announced last year, targeting a 6 per cent workforce reduction. In June, Microsoft cut over 1,000 jobs across various divisions, including its Azure cloud and mixed reality units, primarily within the Strategic Missions and Technologies organization. Additionally, following its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft eliminated 1,900 positions from its gaming division and experienced several executive departures amid its restructuring efforts. In India, companies like Flipkart, Paytm, and Swiggy also announced job cuts as part of their restructuring plans.
In conclusion, Dyson’s decision to cut 1,000 UK jobs highlights the broader trend of companies restructuring to remain competitive and profitable in a challenging economic environment. Despite these changes, Dyson remains dedicated to innovation, maintaining its R&D hub to continue developing cutting-edge technologies.