BERLIN (AP) — Ford will cut 3,800 jobs in Europe over the next three years in an effort to streamline operations amid tough economic times and growing competition from electric cars, the company said Tuesday.
The automaker will cut 2,300 jobs in Germany, 1,300 in Britain and another 200 elsewhere on the continent. The company stuck to its strategy of offering an all-electric fleet in Europe by 2035, saying it hoped to start production of its first European-made electric car this year.
The company said it wanted a “more agile and competitive cost structure for Ford in Europe” and would launch consultations “with the intention of achieving reductions through voluntary departure programs”.
Ford aims to cut 2,800 engineering jobs by 2025 as a result of the transition to less complex electric models, although it plans to retain around 3,400 engineering jobs in Europe.
The other 1,000 positions will be eliminated in the administrative wing.
“These are tough decisions, not taken lightly,” Martin Sander, managing director of Ford Model e in Europe, said in a statement. “We recognize the uncertainty this creates for our team, and I assure you that our full support will be offered to them in the months to come.”
Ford has approximately 34,000 employees in wholly owned and co-owned facilities in Europe.