Gillette Maker Procter & Gamble To Cut 7,000 Jobs In Two-Year Overhaul

The company behind Gillette and Pampers has announced plans to cut up to 7,000 jobs over the next two years as part of a restructuring programme.

US-based Procter & Gamble (P&G) unveiled the plans during a strategy update on Thursday.

The multinational manufacturing giant said it would be reducing its current non-manufacturing workforce by about 15%.

The 7,000 affected roles represent about 6% of its total workforce.

The two-year restructuring programme will help it make changes resulting in “efficiencies, faster innovation, and cost reduction”, according to the firm.

P&G said it was not currently specifying how the plans would affect local staff, including which regions or roles would be impacted.

The Ohio-based company hired about 108,000 employees at the end of June last year. Around half of those were in manufacturing roles, and more than a quarter were based in the US.

It makes a range of household brands including Ariel, Oral-B, Always and Tampax, and hair care brands Head & Shoulders and Herbal Essences.

P&G recently said it was exposed to risks in the global economic environment, including new and increased tariffs, particularly between the US and China.

This is because its products are sold in countries around the world so it is likely to be affected by increased costs for importing goods.

It has said it could continue to raise prices on some brands to mitigate the impact of cost increases, which it admitted could have a knock-on effect on demand and sales.