Achmea, the biggest insurer in the Netherlands, plans to cut a fifth of its workforce in the next three years as more customers switch to online services.

The mutual insurer, which offers healthcare, property and casualty, pensions and life insurance, expects to cut 4,000 jobs of 19,000 employees in the Netherlands and other countries, the Zeist-based company said in a statement yesterday. Compulsory job losses would not be ruled out, it added.

The cuts are in addition to a programme announced in 2009 to eliminate 2,500 jobs by 2011.

“Our eight million customers are doing more and more online and also want to be able to arrange their insurance in that way,” said chairman Willem van Duin in the statement.

“That is why we’re accelerating our adjustments.”– (Bloomberg)