British Petroleum (BP), a multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London is planning to cut about 700 positions that are not frontline roles as part of a wider restructuring aimed at making operations leaner and improving financial performance.
According to an internal company email, the proposed reductions will impact employees in corporate and support functions. Operational staff including operators, technicians and maintenance personnel are expected to remain unaffected, with no material changes anticipated for those teams.
The cuts represent roughly eight per cent of BP’s 8,500 non-frontline jobs tied to its production and operations business. The communication to staff noted that affected roles could be eliminated, significantly changed, or moved to another part of the organisation. It stated that if an employee’s role was affected, it could mean that the role would not exist in the new organisation, would change materially, or would be moved into a different part of the organisation.
The changes come as BP accelerates efforts to streamline under Meg O’Neill, chief executive officer, who took over in April. Since then, the London-based company has reorganised from three business segments to two — upstream and downstream — with the new structure taking effect at the start of this month.
BP reportedly said the restructuring is part of a broader plan to reduce debt, improve profitability and increase shareholder returns. The company has also scaled back investments in renewables while placing renewed emphasis on traditional oil and gas.
A company spokesperson is reported to have stated that the firm is “building a simpler, stronger, more valuable BP” and that proposed changes would result in a reduction in roles, without confirming the specific number.
As per BP’s 2025 annual report, the firm employs 93,700 people across 61 countries. The proposed cuts affect a small portion of the global workforce but reflect the company’s ongoing effort to align costs with market conditions.
