HUGGIES MAKER CUTTING JOBS

Huggies maker Kimberly-Clark will cut as many as 5,500 jobs, or 13 percent of its workforce, in a bid to lower costs.

The move partly reflects lower demand for diapers and tissues amid falling U.S. birthrates. Kimberly-Clark, which also makes Kleenex tissues, has struggled with this issue along with other consumer products companies.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the general fertility rate fell 11 percent between 2007 and 2016. Women under 30 are having fewer children and aren’t in the market for

diapers, tissue and other products that new parents buy in bulk.

“You can’t encourage moms to use more diapers in developed markets when the babies aren’t being born in those markets,” Kimberly-Clark CEO Tom Falk said in a conference call.

The Dallas-based company also said that it plans to close or sell about 10 manufacturing plants while expanding production at others. It's also looking to exit some low-margin businesses that make up about 1 percent of company sales.