Panasonic Layoffs Target 10,000 Employees to Protect Profits

Japanese electronics maker Panasonic (PCRFF) announced major layoffs today as it looks to rein in spending. The company intends to boost profit by ¥150 billion in its next fiscal year, which starts in April 2026. To achieve this goal, the company will cut 10,000 jobs, 5,000 in Japan and 5,000 internationally. This represents roughly 4.3% of its 229,000 global workforce.

The Panasonic job cuts will largely occur at its headquarters and business units. At its HQ, layoffs will be focused on streamlining operations and reducing the size of its sales department. The company also intends to evaluate businesses and terminate unprofitable ones that lack turnaround potential.

Naturally, Panasonic will suffer restructuring costs connected to its layoffs. These are expected to total ¥130 billion and will be recorded in its current fiscal year.

What’s Behind the Panasonic Layoffs?

Panasonic noted that a prolonged economic downturn has resulted in falling demand for electronics in Japan. The company’s Chinese sales have remained muted for these same reasons. As such, it expects net profit to drop 15% in its current fiscal year.

One thing that Panasonic isn’t overly worried about are tariffs. The company noted that it only expects President Donald Trump’s tariffs to have a negative 1% impact on its revenue.

PCRFF stock was last down 0.43% in after hours trading. However, the stock is still up 14.82% year-to-date, continuing to rally despite economic concerns.

Is PCRFF stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold?

Turning to Wall Street, the analysts’ consensus rating for Panasonic is Strong Buy, based on six Buy and one Hold ratings over the last three months. With that comes an average PCRFF price target of $15.92, representing a potential 36.07% upside for the shares.

See more PCRFF stock analyst ratings