ExxonMobil closing Moncton office, 250 jobs to be lost

ExxonMobil is closing its Moncton call centre, resulting in 250 people losing their jobs by the end of 2026.

Employees at the multinational oil company's office on Ocean Limited Way in Moncton were informed Wednesday.

According to the provincial government, the jobs at the business support centre will be cut between June this year and December 2026. 

"There are no plans or opportunities for staff redeployment within the company," says an email from the Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour that was obtained by Radio-Canada.

A spokesperson for the U.S. company confirmed the closure in a brief statement. 

"We've decided to close our Moncton office as we focus on other global business centers," Michelle Gray, a spokesperson for ExxonMobil, said in an email Thursday. 

"This decision was not made lightly, and we thank the Moncton workforce for their dedication and service."

No reason given

The company didn't say what led to the decision. CBC News has asked the company for more information.

The email from the provincial government says the company is committed to supporting the affected employees and is offering counsellors and benefits. The email also says the province will offer additional assistance through the WorkingNB portal.

"Layoffs are always a source of concern, and my thoughts are with the employees and the community during this time," Jean-Claude D'Amours, the acting labour minister, said in a statement Friday.

Luc Babineau, Moncton's director of economic development, called ExxonMobil a "great contributor" to the local economy over the past 27 years. 

Babineau said in a statement that the city was disappointed with the closure and the impact on employees. Babineau said the Moncton economy remains strong and is more diversified and not reliant on one industry, such as call centres, as in the past. 

The job losses are the latest in a series of cuts the company has made to its workforce in the province. 

In 2013, it announced the closure of its Saint John office, which affected 210 jobs. The company said it was consolidating operations in Moncton. At the time, the company had 1,100 employees in the province. 

Hundreds of jobs were affected in a restructuring in 2021, Radio-Canada reported.

ExxonMobil opened its first office in New Brunswick in 1998 with 40 staff.