The restructuring events database contains factsheets with data on large-scale restructuring events reported in the principal national media and company websites in each EU Member State. This database was created in 2002.
Allianz Partners, a subsidiary of the German insurance group Allianz specialising in travel insurance and assistance services, has announced that it plans to cut between 1,500 and 1,800 jobs worldwide over the next 12 to 18 months.
More than 120 positions are expected to be cut in Germany, with further reductions expected in France, Spain and the United Kingdom.
The job losses will affect call centre roles. The cuts are part of a shift towards greater use of artificial intelligence in its call centre operations. The restructuring is linked to the rollout of AI-based systems designed to handle a large share of simple customer enquiries, such as claim status updates or address changes, while more complex cases would continue to be managed by human staff.
The company employs 22,600 employees, including 14,000 in the call center sector.
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.
The retail banking sector is fertile ground for studying the impacts of digitalisation on work and employment. Financial services are increasingly provided online, without the intermediary of customer-facing institutions.
European labour markets have recovered strongly from COVID-19. By the end of 2021, little more than 18 months after the start of the pandemic, employment rates in the EU were almost at pre-crisis levels.
