The Italian insurance company Generali plans to close three of its German locations by the end of 2030, resulting in the elimination of 800 jobs nationwide. The affected branches are in Aachen, Nuremberg, and Stuttgart; employees will be relocated to the company’s offices in Cologne, Munich, and Karlsruhe. This move is part of a comprehensive reorganization of Generali’s German operations, with the insurer focusing on digitalization, artificial intelligence, and the consolidation of operational structures. Furthermore, the company aims to enhance its competitiveness by reducing real estate costs and outsourcing certain functions. These changes will affect a portion of the company’s approximately 9,100 employees in Germany.
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Generali consolidates its German operations into five regional hubs
As part of a new location strategy, Generali is reducing the number of its regional administrative offices. Moving forward, Munich, Cologne, Karlsruhe, Hamburg, and Saarbrücken will serve as the five central hubs. Specialized locations in Frankfurt, Leipzig, and Berlin will remain in operation. The group aims to consolidate functions and improve collaboration across various departments.
The closures affect three previously independent branch offices. Employees based in Aachen will relocate to Cologne, while the workforce in Nuremberg will move to Munich. Staff from Stuttgart will continue their duties in Karlsruhe. However, Generali has not yet released specific headcount figures for the individual branches; therefore, it remains unclear how many employees will be assigned to a new work location.
Digitalization and artificial intelligence aimed at reducing costs
Alongside the closure of office locations, the insurance company is planning extensive investments in modern technologies. A sum in the hundreds of millions of euros is earmarked for upgrading IT systems, digitalization, and artificial intelligence. Generali expects these measures to lead to significant gains in productivity. At the same time, certain administrative tasks are expected to require less personnel in the future.
Furthermore, the group plans to increase its collaboration with external service providers. Specialized firms will take over selected functions, allowing the company’s own staff to focus more on core insurance-related tasks. In addition, Generali intends to streamline internal responsibilities and consolidate services into supra-regional specialized centers. It is not yet clear which departments will be most affected by the staff reductions.
Generali plans to cut 800 jobs through socially responsible measures
The planned job cuts represent approximately 8.8 percent of the current workforce. However, this does not mean that 800 employees will face immediate termination. Instead, the company intends to rely on natural attrition, upcoming retirements, and voluntary early-retirement schemes. Simultaneously, the company plans to hire new staff with qualifications suited to digital business processes.
Arne Benzin, the board member responsible for human resources, has announced a job and location guarantee extending until the end of 2030. The company aims to use this to ensure that the transition remains predictable in the long term. Nevertheless, the specific details of implementation are still subject to negotiations with the central works council. For employees at the three locations slated for closure, this guarantee does not mean that their current place of work will be preserved.
Closure of Aachen site despite significant real estate investment
The decision regarding the Aachen location has drawn particular attention. According to the broadcaster WDR, the insurer invested well over 100 million euros in a building complex there only a relatively short time ago. Nevertheless, the branch is set to be closed by the end of 2030. Employees were first informed of these plans via email on October 23. An extraordinary staff meeting is scheduled for the following Monday.
This withdrawal also brings an end to a long corporate history in Aachen. It was there, some 200 years ago, that the Aachener Feuer-Versicherungs-Gesellschaft (Aachen Fire Insurance Company) was founded—the entity that later evolved into AachenMünchener. Generali acquired the company in 1998. The planned consolidation with the Cologne office thus marks the end of a long-standing presence of the insurance industry in the city.
Insurance group cites changing market conditions as reason for restructuring
Generali is one of the major insurance companies in the German market, offering products including life, health, liability, and property insurance. In 2025, its German operations generated approximately 15.5 billion euros in premium income, with an operating result of around 1.04 billion euros. Consequently, the planned closures are not a response to publicly reported operating losses.
Instead, management aims to adapt existing structures to evolving workflows. The group anticipates that digital customer service and automated processes will reduce the need for traditional administrative tasks. At the same time, consolidating operations into fewer locations will lower expenses related to office space and building maintenance. The planned measures are set to be implemented by the end of 2030. Whether the workforce reduction can be achieved entirely without compulsory redundancies will depend on the outcome of ongoing negotiations.
Author: Blackout News
Sources: t-online (24-10.26) – Nordbayern (24.10.26) – BR24 (23.10.26) – Generali (23.10.26)