Ethics in the digital workplace
Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can affect working conditions in a variety of ways and their use in the workplace raises a host of new ethical concerns.
Meyer Burger, a Swiss solar technology manufacturer, has announced that it will cut 645 jobs worldwide.
About 600 positions will be affected in Germany, and about 45 in Switzerland. The layoffs affect the solar cell production site in Bitterfeld-Wolfen Meyer Burger Industries 2025-DE and the development centre in Hohenstein-Ernstthal Meyer Burger Germany 2025-DE, while a small team will remain to manage the winding-down process.
The company had shut down its module production in Freiberg (Germany) last year and dismissed about 300 employees in the United States in May 2025.
The collapse of negotiations with potential investors was attributed to fierce competition from low-cost Chinese imports and uncertainty surrounding renewable energy subsidies in Europe and the United States. Meyer Burger has initiated insolvency proceedings for its German subsidiaries and will pursue a composition agreement in Switzerland, where shareholders are not expected to receive any liquidation dividend.
Founded in 1953 Meyer Burger once aimed to revive solar manufacturing in Europe but has faced mounting financial difficulties since 2023.
Eurofound (2025), Meyer Burger, Bankruptcy in World, factsheet number 203523, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/203523.