Heineken, the world’s second-largest brewer by market value, says it will cut as much as 6,000 jobs globally over the next two years – close to 7% of its workforce. The Guardian reports the move comes as the Dutch brewer struggles with falling demand for beer.

The company, which makes Heineken, Amstel and Tiger, cited “challenging market conditions,” and said the cuts would come from brewing and white-collar roles among its 87,000-strong global workforce. The brewer said some cuts would come from previously announced measures affecting Heineken’s supply network, head office and regional business divisions.

It also lowered its forecasts for profit growth in 2026.

“We really do this to strengthen our operations and to be able to invest in growth,” the brewer’s head of finance, Harold van den Broek, told reporters after the company released its annual results on February 11.

People overall are drinking less beer. Heineken reported a 1.2% fall in total beer volumes last year compared with 2024, and its rivals also report declining beer sales, particularly in Europe and North America. According to The Brewers of Europe, reported in EUReporter in December 2025, EU beer production fell nearly 6% from 367 million hectolitres in 2019 to 345 million in 2024, with early 2025 figures showing further tightening. The reasons are higher costs, a drop in disposable income, global transport disruptions, health concerns, and the effects of more people taking weight-loss drugs such as Mounjaro and Wegovy.