现实金融形势使水泥工业就业情况急剧下降。由于美国经济恶化和建筑活动减少，法国拉法基集团，瑞士豪西蒙和墨西哥的西麦斯这三个水泥工业竞争集团都表示，为了应对严重的美国房地产危机和正在提高他们融资成本的全球市场动荡，他们将在美国削减成本并裁员。
世界上最大的水泥生产商拉法基集团已宣布，由于全球经济动荡所引发的不确定性，集团无法确认是否能达成其2010年的目标。集团还宣称，它将进一步削减成本，并致力于增加现金流。
拉法基集团在一份声明中说：“考虑到金融危机的经济后果，我们在短期内的首要目标是重点增加现金流，削减成本和‘去杠杆化’”。
今年九月，欧洲领先的建材公司瑞士水泥生产商豪西蒙证实，它已通过各种裁员和自然减员在美国地区裁员。集团已经宣布第三季度利润下降了23%，并宣布将关闭在美国和西班牙的工厂。
豪西蒙表示，将关闭在邓迪，密歇根，克拉克斯维尔，密苏里州和西班牙托雷东希梅诺的工厂。这是由于七月到九月股东获得净利润相比去年同期的8.77亿瑞士法郎下降到今年的6.73亿瑞士法郎。集团在英国的公司正在裁员500人，集团预期低迷将持续到2010年。
世界第三大水泥生产商西麦斯也表示，将在美国削减成本和裁员。十月西麦斯宣布全球裁员6000人，相当于其雇员人数的10%。并且为了应对需求下降，集团将出售超过十亿的资产。
全球金融衰退造成了美国，英国和西班牙建筑材料需求的急剧下降。高能源价格和通货膨胀导致成本增加。美国水泥需求量三季度已经下降了19%，预拌混凝土下降了30%，骨料下降了31%。这一趋势预计将持续到今年年底。
附英文：
Holcim, Lafarge and Cemex Slash Thousands of Jobs in the U.S
(Los Angeles, California) -- Reality bites as employment in the cement industry drops dramatically. Amid worsening U.S economy and a drop in the construction activity, the three competing groups of the cement industry, the French group Lafarge, Switzerland's Holcim and Mexico's Cemex, have all indicated that they will cut costs and jobs in the U.S as they struggle with the severe U.S. housing crisis and global market volatility that is hiking their financing costs.
Lafarge, the world's biggest cement maker, has announced its inability to confirm its 2010 goals due to uncertainty triggered by the global economic turmoil. The firm has also said that it would further cut costs and focus on cash flow generation.
"Taking into account the economic consequences of the financial crisis, our priority in the short-term is to focus on free cash flow generation, cost reductions and deleveraging," a statement issued by Lafarge said.
In September this year, Swiss cement maker Holcim, Europe’s leading building materials company, confirmed that it had cut U.S. jobs through a mix of layoffs and attrition. The company reported a drop of 23 percent in third-quarter profit and announced it will close plants in the U.S. and Spain.
Holcim said it will close sites in Dundee, Michigan; Clarksville, Missouri; and Torredonjimeno, Spain, after net profit attributable to shareholders fell to 673 million Swiss francs ($571 million) between July and September this year compared with 877 million francs in the same period last year. The firm is already in the process of shedding 500 positions in U.K. The company expects the slowdown to last into 2010.
Cemex, the world's No. 3 cement maker, has also indicated that it will cut costs and jobs in the U.S. In October, Cemex announced that it is to cut 6,000 jobs worldwide, equivalent to 10% of its workforce, and put more than £1bn of assets up for sale, as it grapples with falling demand.
Global financial downturn has caused a sharp fall in demand for construction materials in the U.S., Britain and Spain. High energy prices and inflation have led to increased costs. US cement volumes had fallen 19% in the third quarter. Readymix has fallen 30% and aggregates 31%. The trend is expected to continue till the end of this year.
