Exxon Mobil Corp. is cutting its workforce in St. John’s, Nfld., by about 20 per cent as part of the company’s global restructuring plan. The layoffs are expected to take place by the end of 2027, according to Shelley Sullivan, a spokeswoman for ExxonMobil Canada Ltd. She could not confirm the exact number of affected employees, but recent company records indicate that the St. John’s office employs around 250 people, suggesting approximately 50 positions may be cut. The layoffs are not expected to impact the company’s offshore workforce, Sullivan said. Exxon Mobil is the largest equity owner in Hibernia and Hebron, two major offshore oil projects off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. Robert Coady, president of Unifor Local 2121, which represents more than 450 workers at Hibernia, also said offshore jobs would be spared. He said he received that reassuring news during a phone conversation with Duncan Fitzpatrick, president of Hibernia Management and Development Co. Ltd., the project’s operator. “He said it’s strictly management,” Coady said. “He said there’s no effect on offshore jobs.” Houston-based Exxon Mobil on Tuesday announced it would lay off 2,000 employees globally as part of a long-term restructuring effort. The announcement came a day after Calgary-based Imperial Oil Ltd. , majority-owned by Exxon Mobil, said it would reduce its own workforce by 20 per cent . The cuts represent about three per cent to four per cent of Exxon Mobil’s global workforce, according to Bloomberg News, which cited an internal company memo. Imperial Oil’s layoffs account for about half of Exxon Mobil’s reductions worldwide, according to the company. Sullivan said in an email that the restructuring would allow the company to “draw more fully on global technical and professional services and technology across locations.” She also said the move would position ExxonMobil Canada’s operations for the future “while continuing to meet our obligations for project benefits here in Newfoundland and Labrador.” Energy companies around the world have announced thousands of job cuts this year in order to reduce costs and stabilize profits as they face pressure from falling global crude oil prices and rising output from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies. Coady said Hibernia’s operations currently have just enough staff to maintain production and cannot afford further reductions. “We cannot continue to operate if we reduce,” he said. “That gives us some reassurance.” Coady remains optimistic that additional cuts will not happen, but said the situation could change as Exxon Mobil’s restructuring continues through to the end of 2027. Imperial Oil to sell headquarters in Calgary — the city with Canada's highest office vacancy rateImperial Oil to slash 20 per cent of workforce in major corporate restructuring • Email: arankin@postmedia.com