Dow said on Thursday it will lay off 1,500 employees as part of its $1 billion cost savings plan due to lackluster demand and margin pressures, causing its shares to drop 6.3% in morning trade.

The materials science company said the reductions are part of a plan to cut $1 billion in costs, citing “persistently weak macroeconomic conditions.”

Michigan-based company Dow Inc. announced Thursday that it would lay off 1,500 employees as part of a $1 billion cost-cutting initiative, citing sluggish demand and margin pressures. The announcement sent Dow’s shares tumbling 6.