This announcement constitutes a new illustration of the difficulties of the automobile sector. The American manufacturer Ford announced on Wednesday November 20, 4,000 new job cuts in Europe by the end of 2027, mainly in Germany and the United Kingdom.
“The company has suffered significant losses in recent years and the industry's shift to electric vehicles and new competition has been very detrimental”said the group in a press release. Sales of electric cars have been slowing for a year in Europe while social plans are increasing among automobile manufacturers and suppliers, also affected by increased Chinese competition.
The plan announced by Ford represents 14% of the group's workforce in Europe. Among these deletions, 2,900 must affect Germany, 800 the United Kingdom and 300 the rest of Europe, a spokesperson for Ford, which employs 174,000 people worldwide, announced to Agence France-Presse. , including 28,000 people in Europe.
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The German economy particularly affected
This announcement comes in addition to the cuts of 3,800 positions announced in 2023 on the Old Continent. The manufacturer, which was one of the pillars of the European automobile industry, has seen its market shares collapse over the last twenty years and represented 4.4% of new car sales in 2023 worldwide, far behind Volkswagen (6%) and Toyota (10.7%).
Ford said it had approached the German government to request public investment in charging infrastructure as well as “significant incentives to help consumers switch to electric vehicles”while Germany ended the environmental bonus for the purchase of electric cars in 2023.
The German economy, of which the automobile industry is one of the pillars, is particularly affected by the sector's difficulties. Volkswagen, national flagship and largest European manufacturer, is going through an unprecedented crisis and is currently negotiating a major savings plan which could lead to thousands of layoffs or even factory closures.
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