HUMAN CAPITAL ADVISOR BRIEFING · ISSUE 4 · APRIL 2026
A monthly briefing for consultants and transformation advisers on what's happening in your clients' sectors, plus the Human Capital Intelligence to take into the room. Built on Deltabase data covering 5,500+ companies and 11M employee reviews.
Editor's note
Consumer goods restructuring moved from plan to practice in April. Nestlé's 16,000-role reduction reached the UK, P&G returned to volume growth, and Unilever raised its cost-inflation forecast as the Iran war pushed up logistics and factory costs. For advisers, these are transformation programmes with long tails. Our data shows career sentiment fell at seven of the ten sector leaders in 2025, before this year's cuts began.
Phil Spratt, CEO & Co-Founder, Deltabase
The month in three
1. Nestlé's cuts reach the UK
What happened: GMB said on 24 April that Nestlé plans to cut more than 450 UK roles, mainly at York and its Gatwick headquarters, as part of the 16,000-role global reduction announced in October 2025. A Nestlé spokesperson said the company would consult with affected staff.
The Deltabase lens: Nestlé's NSS was steady at +7.2% in 2025 (1,868 reviews), but Career Progression fell from −18.8% to −34.3%, while Agility & Bureaucracy improved from −56.5% to −49.2%.
Client angle: Steady headline scores can mask shifts beneath. Career sentiment is the indicator to track as cuts move from announcement to implementation.
2. P&G returns to volume growth
What happened: P&G reported fiscal third-quarter organic sales growth of 3% on 24 April, with volume up 2%, its first increase in a year. Chief executive Shailesh Jejurikar said the company is increasing investment, while the finance chief flagged a $150m fourth-quarter hit from higher transportation costs.
The Deltabase lens: P&G's NSS was +11.1% in 2025 (1,588 reviews), down from +12.5%. Career Progression improved from −29.2% to −22.5%, but Agility & Bureaucracy slipped to −69.8%.
Client angle: Improving career sentiment alongside heavy bureaucracy points to simplification as the next item on the agenda, a natural opening for operating-model advice.
3. Unilever raises its cost forecast
What happened: On 30 April, Unilever reported first-quarter underlying sales growth of 3.8%, ahead of forecasts, but now expects full-year cost inflation of €750m to €900m, €350m to €500m more than it had expected, partly because of the Iran war. Chief executive Fernando Fernandez is leading a multi-year restructuring, and Unilever plans to combine its food division with McCormick.
The Deltabase lens: Unilever's Career Progression score fell from −49.3% to −60.0% in 2025, and Agility & Bureaucracy from −45.1% to −60.0%. Its NSS eased to +4.9% on 1,527 reviews.
Client angle: Separations and cost programmes running at the same time put pressure on the same people. Advisers can use these benchmarks to size the change-management effort.
Stat of the month
7 of 10: Consumer Goods leaders in the Deltabase Top 100 saw Career Progression sentiment fall in 2025, and the sector median dropped from −28.8% to −36.4%.
| Company | 2024 | 2025 | Change |
|---|
| Coca-Cola | −4.2% | −44.0% | −39.8 pts |
| Colgate-Palmolive | −36.8% | −61.5% | −24.7 pts |
| Nestlé | −18.8% | −34.3% | −15.5 pts |
| Unilever | −49.3% | −60.0% | −10.7 pts |
| Procter & Gamble | −29.2% | −22.5% | +6.7 pts |
| Median (10 companies) | −28.8% | −36.4% | −7.6 pts |
Source: Deltabase Culture data, Employee Net Sentiment Score (−100% to +100%), Career Progression topic, 2024 and 2025. Median and count across Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Nestlé, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Reckitt, Diageo, Colgate-Palmolive, Mondelez and Kimberly-Clark.
Spotlight: Unilever vs Nestlé
Two Europe-headquartered consumer giants are restructuring at the same time from different starting points. Nestlé's NSS was steady at +7.1% in 2024 and +7.2% in 2025, while Unilever's eased from +6.7% to +4.9%. Nestlé improved on Agility & Bureaucracy, from −56.5% to −49.2%, while Unilever fell to −60.0%. Both declined on Career Progression, but Unilever is further behind at −60.0% against Nestlé's −34.3%. For advisers, Unilever's data points to bureaucracy as the bigger change challenge.
For your client work
- Before pitching a consumer goods transformation, pull Career Progression and Agility & Bureaucracy for the client and two peers.
- Use the sector median (−36.4% on Career Progression in 2025) to show where a client's people risk sits.
- For separations, benchmark the business being carved out as well as the parent.
Walk into every pitch with the people data already in hand. Advisers use Deltabase to benchmark culture, talent and workforce trends for any client or target in minutes. See how it works →
Sources: ConfectioneryNews (24 April 2026); Invezz (24 April 2026); LSE.co.uk/Reuters (30 April 2026); Deltabase Culture data.