The Poynter Institute Menu Donate State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin Issues * All Issues * Online hoaxes * Coronavirus * Health Care * Immigration * Extremism * Taxes * Marijuana * Environment * Crime * Guns * Foreign Policy * LGBTQ+ People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis Media * PunditFact * Tucker Carlson * Sean Hannity * Rachel Maddow * Bloggers * PolitiFact Videos Campaigns * 2024 Elections Truth-o-Meter * True * Mostly True * Half True * Mostly False * False * Pants on Fire Promises * Biden Promise Tracker * Trump-O-Meter * Obameter * Latest Promises About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Suggest a Fact-check * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters Donate #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up English Español ### Get PolitiFact in your inbox. * Weekly Email Newsletter * Daily Email Newsletter Your Email Address Sign Up ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on February 8, 2021 in a Facebook post: “Shell Oil laying off 9,000 workers” because of Joe Biden. ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") * Energy * Facebook Fact-checks * Facebook posts ![\\"Ciara](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke February 8, 2021 # Shell announced plans to cut jobs before the election #### If Your Time is short * Shell announced job cuts before President Joe Biden was elected. * The company has said this claim is inaccurate. See the sources for this fact-check Some Republican lawmakers have criticized President Joe Biden’s environmental policies as job killers that threaten the livelihoods of energy workers in oil fields. But a recent Facebook post blames Biden for layoffs that were announced before he even won the presidential election. \"SHELL OIL laying off 9000 workers,\" reads the Feb. 8 post. \"Thanks Biden.\" This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) Curtis Smith, a spokesperson for Shell, told us this isn’t accurate. #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on August 19, 2024 in a Facebook post “Travis Kelce kneels during national anthem fined $10 million and thrown out of the game.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 21, 2024 In September, Smith said, Shell announced up to 9,000 positions would be eliminated \"as part of a broader effort to reduce costs, simplify the company’s structure and accelerate investments in lower-carbon energy products.\" News reports at the time echo this, and they don’t mention Biden. On Sept. 21, Reuters reported that the company wanted to cut up to 40% off the cost of producing oil and gas as it tries to focus more on renewable energy and power markets. The move followed similar steps taken by its European rivals, BP and ENI, which also plan to reduce their focus on oil and gas and build new low-carbon businesses, according to Reuters. Shell said in April that it would become a net-zero emissions company by 2050. The job cuts will range from 7,000 to 9,000 workers by the end of 2022, according to Business Insider. Shell’s CEO has said there are \"too many layers in the company\" and that it is \"looking to remove that complexity, and cost.\" We rate this Facebook post False. #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources Facebook post, Feb. 8, 2021 Texas Tribune, Oil and gas cleanups are on Biden’s agenda. Will Texas embrace it? Feb. 5, 2021 Business Insider, One of the world’s biggest oil companies plans to cut up to 10% of its workforce. Here are the jobs most at risk, Oct. 1, 2020 Email interview with Curtis Smith, media manager, Shell, Feb. 8, 2021 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Ciara O\'Rourke slide 4 to 6 of 15 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 2, 2024 in a Threads post: Photo shows Vice President Kamala Harris “in the 90s.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 4, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on August 27, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Kurt Russell forms a new non-woke actors alliance with Roseanne Barr and Tim Allen.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 30, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on August 23, 2024 in an X post: Photo of former President Donald Trump after an assassination attempt was generated by artificial intelligence. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 30, 2024 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Shell Oil laying off 9000 workers because of Joe Biden