Aker Solutions, a Norwegian contractor, is planning a significant reduction in its workforce and operational capacity in response to an anticipated decrease in activity levels compared to 2025. This follows several years of record-high workload.

Scope of Workforce Reduction

The company expects that just over 500 of its 12,000 permanent full-time positions may be affected. Approximately 300 of these job losses are concentrated at the company's yard in Verdal, Norway, with changes taking effect from early spring 2026. The remaining reductions are distributed across various locations in Norway and internationally, with some already implemented. The final number may change depending on the company's success in securing new projects.

Affected Roles and Implementation Process

The job cuts will impact roles at production facilities, as well as in engineering and support functions. The reductions will be carried out through a combination of natural attrition and redundancies. Aker Solutions has committed to executing these changes through open and transparent processes in close cooperation with employee representatives and those impacted.

Market Context and Reasons for Restructuring

The restructuring is necessary because the market for new projects—in both oil and gas and renewables—is developing more slowly than expected. Recent high industry activity was driven by a package of measures adopted by the Norwegian parliament in 2020, intended to bridge the gap towards a growing renewable market. As this energy transition is taking longer than anticipated, the company is now feeling the effects of the slowdown.

Internal Adjustments and Future Strategy

While some locations will continue to experience high activity in 2026, and measures have been taken to redeploy employees from less active sites, headcount reductions are deemed essential in parts of the business. Aker Solutions is working proactively to adapt to new market conditions. This includes implementing improvement programmes that utilize new technology and smarter working methods to reduce customer costs and strengthen competitiveness. The company is also developing its offerings in new areas to create more opportunities to win additional work.