Many white-collar Ford workers could be out of a job starting as soon as next week. That’s the report coming from sources with knowledge about the issue that aren’t authorized to speak about the job cuts publicly. For now, the company isn’t saying anything but the move could be a part of its Ford+ plan.
Rival automakers along with Ford have signaled the need to cut costs as they transition from internal combustion engines to EVs. Both Stellantis and General Motors have recently utilized buyout programs to do just that. According to multiple reports, Ford isn’t offering such a program with regard to these job cuts.
A source from one of those reports says that Ford will lay off “several hundred” salaried employees in the near future. That could happen as soon as next week. It’s believed that the cuts will be limited to workers in North America and could be completely within the USA.
Read: US Government Loans Ford $9.2 Billion To Speed Up EV Development
Ford spokesman T.R. Reid said in a statement to the Detroit Free Press: “We have nothing to announce. As we’ve said, part of the ongoing management of our business includes aligning our global staffing to meet business plans, and staying cost competitive as our industry evolves. At the same time, we continue to hire in key areas so that we have the skills and expertise needed to deliver on the Ford+ plan.”
That plan is one that the brand has been working on for a long while. It includes putting itself in a position to scale EV production while also reducing costs.
Last August it said that it would end up cutting some 3,000 jobs between both the USA and India. At the time, it was believed that they would be limited to just Ford Blue, the automaker’s ICE branch. However, the cuts reported above are specifically across both Ford Blue and Ford Model e, the brand’s EV division. Evidently, the Ford Pro commercial arm will remain unaffected for now. We’ll keep an eye out for more news as it develops.
