Dyson is planning to cut as many as 1,000 of its 3,500 UK jobs as part of a restructuring to meet “increasingly fierce and competitive global markets”.
The proposed UK redundancies at the appliance manufacturer follow a review of Dyson’s global operations and are necessary so the group is “prepared for the future”, it said.
Staff were told the news this morning. The company said it could not give a precise number of how many people it expects to lose their jobs but it is understood that about 1,000 are at risk.
Only UK employees have been told about the proposals but Dyson has not ruled out cutting overseas roles as part of what it says is a global review.
The group indicated that the exercise was not about moving jobs overseas to cheaper territories and was likely to result in a net reduction in the number of people it employs globally.
Sir James Dyson, a billionaire and now one of Britain’s richest men, founded the company in 1987 based on his development of a bagless vacuum cleaner. It has grown into one of Britain’s most successful private businesses and has developed products in a range of other areas.
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Dyson moved its global headquarters to Singapore in 2019, a move that attracted criticism in the context of its founder’s vocal support of Brexit.
The business cut 900 jobs in 2020 in a previous cost-cutting exercise that was most keenly felt in the UK.
Hanno Kirner, Dyson chief executive, said: “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. As such, we are proposing changes to our organisation, which may result in redundancies.
“Dyson operates in increasingly fierce and competitive global markets, in which the pace of innovation and change is only accelerating. We know we always need to be entrepreneurial and agile, principles that are not new to Dyson.
“Decisions which impact close and talented colleagues are always incredibly painful. Those whose roles are at risk of redundancy as a result of the proposals will be supported through the process.”
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Last year Dyson recorded global revenues of £7.1 billion, up 9 per cent on 2022.
The company first shifted manufacturing to Malaysia in 2002, resulting in the loss of hundreds of production jobs. Its original headquarters in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, is expected to continue to act as a research and development base.
Dyson is best known for its home appliances and gadgets but also has a trade operation that sells hand dryers, lighting, air purifiers and vacuum cleaners to businesses.
The review that led to the proposed redundancies began before the general election was announced and Dyson indicated that the decisions were entirely commercial and not related to UK politics.
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Sir James has previously accused the recently ousted Conservative government of “scandalous neglect” of the science and technology sectors.
In a letter to The Times last year, he claimed that ministers talked “hubristically” about making Britain a science and tech superpower, while overseeing “woeful policies” that rendered the concept a “mere political slogan”.
