Insurance giant Achmea set to shed hundreds of jobs, union says

Insurance company Achmea is cutting 350 jobs at well-known brands such as Zilveren Kruis, Centraal Beheer, and Interpolis. Starting early next year, the company will consolidate the distribution units of its different brands into a single new division. The restructuring aims to reduce duplication between teams and increase automation of certain tasks.

Trade union CNV says the restructuring is not unexpected. “The financial sector is in constant motion, and reorganisations are happening across the board. Achmea already indicated during its annual results presentation that changes of this kind were likely. So this announcement doesn’t come entirely out of the blue,” said CNV negotiator André Kramer.

With more than 14,000 employees in the Netherlands, Achmea’s total workforce is substantial. Kramer says it is still uncertain whether forced layoffs will be necessary. “It might end up being less severe,” he notes, adding that the company could likely absorb much of the adjustment through a hiring freeze, staff turnover, and a smaller pool of temporary workers.

The move is part of Achmea’s “Strategy 2030,” which focuses on making operations faster and more efficient. CEO Bianca Tetteroo has previously said that artificial intelligence, including the ElevAItion program, will be central to streamlining and automating business processes.

“We are strongly focusing on reskilling our employees for new roles and ensuring they all have access to AI tools,” the Achmea CEO said to Business Wise in March. “I believe it is important that everyone adopts and learns to work with this new technology. And in cases where we do have to let people go, they should be resilient and prepared to find other jobs at different companies.”

While the restructuring has been formally announced, the exact positions affected and which employees will be made redundant will not be confirmed until November 2026. The planned reduction in workforce is set to take effect on January 1, 2027.