Dow said it will cut about 4,500 jobs—roughly 13% of its global workforce—as the chemicals maker launches a broad restructuring aimed at simplifying operations, expanding automation, and lifting profitability during a period of sluggish demand.
The company, which employs about 34,600 people worldwide, said the plan will include workforce reductions as well as cuts affecting third-party roles and operational streamlining across sites. Dow expects severance costs of about $600 million to $800 million tied to the job cuts.
Dow also expects up to $1.5 billion in restructuring-related costs through 2027, as it retools parts of the business and evaluates non-core assets—including some European-related operations—while attempting to boost core profit by about $2 billion under its restructuring program.
The announcement comes as Dow signaled continued demand pressure. The company forecast first-quarter revenue of about $9.4 billion, below analysts’ expectations of roughly $10.33 billion, and pointed to limited seasonal improvement and ongoing weakness in end markets such as building and construction.
Dow’s latest quarterly result also reflected a tough operating environment: it reported an adjusted loss of 34 cents per share, which was smaller than some forecasts, but still underscored the challenge of restoring margins in a soft cycle.
The move adds to a widening trend of large companies citing “efficiency,” automation, and AI-driven simplification as justification for leaner corporate and operational structures, even when the primary driver is cyclical demand weakness and margin protection.