In which companies was the number of employees reduced the most due to the pandemic? Lithuania’s largest employer was downsized Business

The largest number of employees during the final year of the pandemic was cut by the largest private sector employer: retail chain Maxima LT, according to data from Sodra.

In January 2020, the trading giant had 14,717 employees, and in November 1,249 employees.

Retail chains stayed open even after other retailers closed, so why didn’t Maxima LT have more than a thousand employees left? Sales network representatives 15 minutes He explained that he did not lay off those thousand, the number of employees decreased due to the natural change: when an employee left, he was not looking for new ones.

“The main reason for the decrease in the number of employees is the typical change in the commercial sector. Recruitment of new personnel was suspended in the spring because the quarantine did not result in a medical examination of the personnel, which is mandatory to recruit people.

Additionally, as the COVID-19 pandemic slowed the pace of commerce, the need for seasonal workers was significantly less this year, both during the summer and winter holidays. There were no massive layoffs “, 15 minutes commented Ernesta Dapkienė, Director of the Department of Communication and Image of Maxima.

Another reason that the country’s largest employer has reduced the total number of employees is investment in various efficiency solutions: processes are automated both in Maxima stores and in the logistics and production chains.

“Maxima is always looking for employees, but we are optimizing our activities. Last year we optimized many business processes, so this year we were left with fewer employees,” said E. Dapkienė, adding that despite the decrease in the number of employees, the salary fund in 2020 remained the same as last year.

“This means that this year employees have already earned more than one additional monthly salary compared to last year,” said E. Dapkienė.

15 minutes analyzed data provided by Sodra on companies where the number of employees decreased the most in November 2020 compared to January. Rejected employment companies and cases where employees are transferred from one group company to another – subsidiary or start-up, we provide the complete list of TOP 25 companies.

Some laid off workers because they faced financial challenges due to the quarantine, others left, and others decided to use the pandemic period to streamline operations.