In mid-October, new Nestlé CEO Philipp Navratil announced that the company will eliminate 16,000 jobs – or about 5.8% of its global workforce – over the next two years.
The layoffs will include roughly 12,000 white-collar roles, as well as “a further 4,000 headcount reduction” as part of its plan to ignite a “turnaround fire” by cutting costs and improving efficiency, partially via automation.
And on October 21, The New York Times reported that Amazon executives believe the company is “on the cusp of its next big workplace shift: replacing more than half a million jobs with robots” by 2033, according to interviews and a “cache of internal strategy documents” viewed by the newspaper.
While these restructuring efforts are unique in terms of their scale, they are by no means isolated incidents, as F&B companies ranging from Cargill and Starbucks to Tyson and Molson Coors have announced similar measures this year.
“The current wave of layoffs in the F&B sector is indicative of a much deeper trend. Companies are fighting back against rising costs due to ongoing inflation, tariffs, and changing consumer preferences,” said Milos Eric, general manager at OysterLink.
FI spoke with several experts, who offered the following advice to individuals impacted by the recent layoffs – and job seekers in general – who are searching for new roles in a tough environment.
#1. Leverage your professional network.
“Networking in the industry is going to be even a bigger part of the job hunt now. Many senior level positions are filled thanks to personal connections, so you will need to have visibility as a thought leader through networking, relevant industry events, etc.,” Eric told FI.
James Wilkson, Managing Partner and Board Member of AEC Global Search Consultants, also emphasized the importance of maintaining – and leaning on – a strong professional network.
“Immediately reach out to as many personal and professional contacts that you have either worked with or collaborated with as soon as possible. People love to work with people they have enjoyed working with before,” Wilkson told FI, while also noting that although this tip may seem obvious, “most people let their pride get in the way” in this regard.
Renessa Boley Layne, a career coach, speaker, and the author of Fast Lane, Wrong Direction: Insider Secrets to Redesign Your Success, echoed this sentiment:
“When people are between jobs, they need a lot of help. For many, it’s hard enough to swallow their pride to ask people for that help, and the discouragement gets compounded when networking contacts either ‘ghost’ them or don’t follow through on what they’ve asked,” Layne told FI.
She also noted that, while this phenomenon is rarely personal, there are things job seekers can do to improve their odds, including:
- Get clear before reaching out. “It’s fine to leverage a few very close or trusted contacts as sounding boards to navigate through your confusion, but don’t ‘practice’ clarity on your network. It’s not a good look, and you will regret it.”
- Appear “reputation-proof.” “A contact’s biggest fear is that you are going to make them look bad. Everything from how you reach out via email to your LinkedIn profile reinforces if you’re a safe bet. Don’t just make a good ‘impression’ for yourself; make your contacts look good, as well.”
- Make it easy for them. “Do all the heavy lifting. If they’ve agreed to make an introduction for you, draft the introduction email in its entirety. Your contact should literally only have to insert their name and hit send.”
#2. Enlist the help of recruiters and/or executive search firms.
“It’s very important to source out executive search firms or recruiting firms with deep particular expertise in the sectors that fit your particular expertise in the food industry. (i.e. flavorings, chains, franchise, hospitality, chefs, restaurant, meats, grains, baking, plant based, agriculture, manufacturing, marketing, retail, and so on.) Professionals within the industries and even the niche segmented recruiters and exec search firms must know you are looking for your next opportunity,” Wilkson advised.
Nicole Gable, Head of LHH Recruitment Solutions, North America, echoed this advice, noting that “while layoffs are difficult to experience at every level, they come with a unique set of challenges for executives, whose professional identities are often closely tied to their leadership positions” and likely “haven’t navigated the job search in years.”
“Recent research from LHH shows that nearly half of employers offer outplacement services – programs that are designed to provide structure, clarity, and perspective at a time when it’s needed most. These services help executives assess their strengths, and approach the job search strategically rather than reactively,” Gable told FI.
#3. Use LinkedIn strategically.
In addition to external recruiting and executive search firms, Wilkson also recommends reaching out to internal recruiters directly:
“Most major organizations have an internal recruiting person or team. Learn who they are by researching companies on LinkedIn and send your info to that internal person directly via email with a quick simple intro note.”
Another LinkedIn-related tip that actually helped me land this job at The Food Institute is to avoid LinkedIn job postings altogether, as many of those roles are scams or have already been filled – and the ones that are legitimate often receive hundreds, or even thousands, of applicants, making it feel impossible to even land an interview.
Instead, search LinkedIn posts from companies and filter the results to show you posts from the last 24 hours – or a week at most – using the following formula:
[hiring (remote, hybrid, or on-site) (job title)]
In my case, I searched [hiring remote copy editor/writer], which helped me land an interview and an offer.
The Road Ahead
Given that 73% of organizations are either undertaking or considering layoffs, according to recent LHH research, it’s wise for everyone – even those who are currently employed – to prepare for whatever the future holds by polishing portfolios, updating resumes, and maintaining strong professional relationships.
