Aegon, Transamerica cut 59 jobs in Cedar Rapids

Aegon is eliminating 55 positions in Cedar Rapids, while Transamerica, owned by Aegon, is eliminating four other positions, Aegon spokesperson Julie Quinlan has confirmed. The 55 positions being eliminated by Aegon are employees in the company’s IT department, and their jobs are ending Dec. 31, Ms. Quinlan said. “Going forward, Aegon will partner with a third-party administrator to leverage standardized services for its IT Help Desk that provides internal service to employees,” Ms. Quinlan said. “This decision will result in the ability to better scale services and create efficiency, with the goal of enhancing the user experience.” In a separate and unrelated move, Transamerica has notified four Cedar Rapids employees that their positions are being eliminated. “This will enable the company to be more efficient while continuing to focus on growth,” Ms. Quinlan said. “Transamerica remains strongly committed to helping our customers and continues to adapt to changes in customer needs and demands.” Aegon is Transamerica’s parent company. The job cuts were announced Aug. 16. “We recognize that this is difficult news, and we are keenly aware of the impact these actions will have on our employees and their families,” Ms. Quinlan added. “We have met with impacted colleagues to offer support and resources as they prepare to transition to other opportunities inside or outside of the company.” In June, Transamerica announced that 40 jobs in Iowa were being eliminated, including two positions based in Cedar Rapids. Transamerica and Aegon formerly operated from offices at the intersection of 42nd Street and Edgewood Road NE before moving to former Hibu facilities in southwest Cedar Rapids, a move that was substantially completed in 2018. The former Transamerica site was sold in an online auction in June. The identity of the buyer hasn’t yet been made publicly available.