3M, the US diversified industrial giant, is planning to cut jobs as part of a broader cost-cutting effort in response to the economic slowdown, according to internal communications.

The move comes just days after 3M suffered a setback to a key legal strategy aimed at reducing its mounting debt, and as the company faces a host of other challenges, from inflation issues to sluggish growth.

Michael Vale, the head of 3M’s safety and industrial division, disclosed the layoffs in a memo to the division’s employees. “The company cannot avoid this difficult and necessary measure,” he said.

It was not immediately clear how large 3M’s planned job cuts would be, but Vale said in the memo that similar actions would follow elsewhere in the company. 3M employed about 95,000 people at the end of last year, according to securities filings.

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The multinational manufacturer has struggled in recent years due to supply chain disruptions, currency fluctuations and rising costs. 3M said in July it would spin off its healthcare business, which accounts for nearly a quarter of sales. The company’s management also cut its full-year sales and profit forecasts.

In addition, the company could face billions of dollars in future legal costs related to environmental liabilities and lawsuits over the company’s alleged sale of defective combat earplugs to the U.S. military that left some veterans with hearing loss.

Last week, a bankruptcy judge rejected 3M’s attempt to use controversial bankruptcy rules to block those claims, allowing them to go to trial. 3M said it planned to appeal the decision.