Firm takes axe to 15% of its workforce

Lendlease has become the latest Tier One contractor to swing the axe with the Google headquarters builder saying it will cut 240 jobs from its UK business.

The firm, which is also working on a number of several high-profile jobs including the refurbishment of Manchester Town Hall and a 50-storey tower at 6-8 Bishopsgate for Stanhope in the City of London, said the cut would be around 15% of its workforce.

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Cranes parked up at the Google job in King’s Cross after the site was shut by a covid-19 outbreak in March

A spokesperson said: “We remain fully committed to the successful delivery of the impressive pipeline of opportunities our business has secured in the UK, and we see considerable long-term potential for our business here.

“But first we must withstand tough economic conditions that are being addressed by nearly every business in our industry. To withstand those conditions we are proposing to reduce the size of our workforce in the UK by around 15 per cent.”

Last month, the Australian-based group posted a near £300m pre-tax loss for the year to June 2020 with the firm blaming a string of problem jobs in its home market and the covid-19 pandemic for remaining in the red.

The news means that Lendlease has become the latest major contractor to pare back its UK workforce with Mace, Multiplex, Sir Robert McAlpine and Laing O’Rourke all announcing job cuts in recent months.

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