diff --git a/packages/compiler-cli/ngcc/src/execution/cluster/worker.ts b/packages/compiler-cli/ngcc/src/execution/cluster/worker.ts
index 6cf4c752b9..e018384c06 100644
--- a/packages/compiler-cli/ngcc/src/execution/cluster/worker.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler-cli/ngcc/src/execution/cluster/worker.ts
@@ -81,10 +81,21 @@ export async function startWorker(logger: Logger, createCompileFn: CreateCompile
               `[Worker #${cluster.worker.id}] Invalid message received: ${JSON.stringify(msg)}`);
       }
     } catch (err) {
-      await sendMessageToMaster({
-        type: 'error',
-        error: (err instanceof Error) ? (err.stack || err.message) : err,
-      });
+      switch (err && err.code) {
+        case 'ENOMEM':
+          // Not being able to allocate enough memory is not necessarily a problem with processing
+          // the current task. It could just mean that there are too many tasks being processed
+          // simultaneously.
+          //
+          // Exit with an error and let the cluster master decide how to handle this.
+          logger.warn(`[Worker #${cluster.worker.id}] ${err.stack || err.message}`);
+          return process.exit(1);
+        default:
+          await sendMessageToMaster({
+            type: 'error',
+            error: (err instanceof Error) ? (err.stack || err.message) : err,
+          });
+      }
     }
   });
 
diff --git a/packages/compiler-cli/ngcc/test/execution/cluster/worker_spec.ts b/packages/compiler-cli/ngcc/test/execution/cluster/worker_spec.ts
index e02af404fd..277bf7c5e2 100644
--- a/packages/compiler-cli/ngcc/test/execution/cluster/worker_spec.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler-cli/ngcc/test/execution/cluster/worker_spec.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ import {startWorker} from '../../../src/execution/cluster/worker';
 import {Task, TaskCompletedCallback, TaskProcessingOutcome} from '../../../src/execution/tasks/api';
 import {FileToWrite} from '../../../src/rendering/utils';
 import {MockLogger} from '../../helpers/mock_logger';
-import {mockProperty} from '../../helpers/spy_utils';
+import {mockProperty, spyProperty} from '../../helpers/spy_utils';
 
 
 describe('startWorker()', () => {
@@ -163,6 +163,38 @@ describe('startWorker()', () => {
           .toHaveBeenCalledWith({type: 'error', error: err.stack}, jasmine.any(Function));
     });
 
+    it('should exit on `ENOMEM` errors during task processing', () => {
+      const processExitSpy = jasmine.createSpy('process.exit');
+      const {
+        setMockValue: mockProcessExit,
+        installSpies: installProcessExitSpies,
+        uninstallSpies: uninstallProcessExitSpies,
+      } = spyProperty(process, 'exit');
+
+      try {
+        installProcessExitSpies();
+        mockProcessExit(processExitSpy as unknown as typeof process.exit);
+
+        const mockTask = {
+          entryPoint: {name: 'foo'},
+          formatProperty: 'es2015',
+          processDts: true,
+        } as unknown as Task;
+
+        const noMemError = Object.assign(new Error('ENOMEM: not enough memory'), {code: 'ENOMEM'});
+        compileFnSpy.and.throwError(noMemError);
+
+        startWorker(mockLogger, createCompileFnSpy);
+        cluster.worker.emit('message', {type: 'process-task', task: mockTask});
+
+        expect(mockLogger.logs.warn).toEqual([[`[Worker #42] ${noMemError.stack}`]]);
+        expect(processExitSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(1);
+        expect(processSendSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      } finally {
+        uninstallProcessExitSpies();
+      }
+    });
+
     it('should throw, when an unknown message type is received', () => {
       startWorker(mockLogger, createCompileFnSpy);
       cluster.worker.emit('message', {type: 'unknown', foo: 'bar'});