Heineken to Cut Up to 6,000 Jobs As It Moves Forward With AI-Integrated Restructuring Plan

(Photo: AP Photo/J. David Ake, FILE)

Dutch brewing giant Heineken beat profit forecasts on Wednesday after cutting its global workforce by approximately 3,000 jobs. The brewer plans to lay off up to 3,000 more employees over the next two years as it pursues a dramatic restructuring bid aiming to boost productivity through AI integration.

Heineken reported a 6.7% organic increase in operating profit in the first half of the year, more than doubling analyst expectations of 3.3% growth. Overall sales grew by 1.6%, with the core Heineken brand up 5.3% thanks to demand for recent launches like Heineken Silver and the brewer’s non-alcoholic Heineken 0.0.

In addition to its namesake beer, the conglomerate owns a who’s who of recognizable alcohol brands, including Dos Equis, Tecate, Lagunitas and Amstel Lager.

Earlier this year, outgoing CEO Dolf van den Brink announced that Heineken was planning to cut approximately 7% of its workforce, responsible for 87,000 employees across 70 countries. At the time, the company was struggling with declines in international beer consumption, particularly in European markets like Germany and Heineken’s home country, the Netherlands.

Van den Brink told CNBC that the layoffs — which are now halfway toward initial projections —  came “partly also due to AI, or let’s say digitization.”

“That’s a very big part of our EverGreen 2030 strategy, with around 3,000 roles moving to our business services, where technology digitization in general, and AI specifically, will be an important part of ongoing productivity savings,” he said

Heineken CFO Harold van den Broek says that the efficiency measures are expected to save the company between €400 million ​and €500 million (~USD $460 million to $570 million) per year. However, he warns that the Iran war and the ongoing European heatwave are expected to exert unpredictable financial pressures through the rest of 2026.

Heineken isn’t the only company pursuing a drastic restructuring plan. On Thursday, Guinness owner Diageo unveiled a three-year roadmap that aims to cut approximately $1 billion in costs across its portfolio of over 200 brands.