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# headcount reduction

phrase (noun phrase: headcount reduction, headcount reductions; also «workforce reduction», «downsizing»)

«headcount reduction» in the English dictionary: in the primary school — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## In the primary school

Source: Mova's pupils' dictionary. Licence: [Elamur Cosmic License](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/LICENSE/). Reviewed: the dictionary the pupils of Mova's primary school read; its examples quote the lessons and public-domain tales. Ships with Mova.

### Meaning

1. (euphemism, business) firing or laying off workers to have fewer staff.
2. (literal) any decrease in the number of people counted.

### In the lessons

Corporate and HR jargon that turns people into numbers and hides job losses; official, all regions. Very common in company announcements and business news.

### Examples

- The company announced a headcount reduction of five hundred jobs.
- "Headcount reduction" means people are losing their jobs.
- Staff were worried about the planned headcount reduction.
- The factory achieved a headcount reduction by not replacing retiring workers.
- Critics said "headcount reduction" sounds cold and hides the human cost.
- The bank's headcount reduction will close three branches.
- Dad lost his job in a headcount reduction.
- If a firm of 500 staff makes a 10 percent headcount reduction, 50 people lose their jobs.

### Note

Trap: «headcount» is the number of workers; reducing it means people are sacked. Sounds cold and technical. Plain words: job cuts, layoffs. In maths, subtract the reduction from the total.