Allianz Partners is cutting up to 1,800 jobs across Europe, and its chief executive tied the cuts to AI

Allianz Partners, the travel-insurance and assistance arm of Allianz, will cut between 1,500 and 1,800 jobs across Europe, chief executive Tomas Kunzmann said at an event in Munich on 7 July 2026. Bloomberg reported that the unit cited artificial intelligence as a reason for the cuts, and Reuters headlined them as due to increasing AI use. The reductions will take the form of severance agreements, early retirements and similar options. "Over the past six months, we have negotiated with our colleagues on the works councils," Kunzmann said, with voluntary leave offers extended in Spain, France, Germany, Italy and the Benelux countries. "This could happen to any of us at some point," he added. "We treat these colleagues exactly as is appropriate, fairly." Allianz Partners employs more than 22,000 people, and roughly 14,000 of them handle customer enquiries and claims by phone, so the cut is about 7 to 8 percent of the unit. Munich Re's Ergo is separately cutting about 1,000 German positions, partly for the same reason. When Allianz cut 650 UK jobs in 2025 it declined to link them to automation. This time the head of the business put his name to it, which is what separates an employer's admission from an analyst's guess.