Ford will cut up to 800 jobs in the UK over the next three years as a result slowing electric vehicle sales.
The move is part of a wider cost-cutting strategy that will see the vehicle manufacturer cut up to 4,000 jobs across Europe – which is about 14% of its workforce.
Most of the job losses will be in Germany, where up to 2,900 jobs will be lost.
Ford employs about 5,300 people in the UK. It is understood that most of the job losses in the UK will be in admin, commercial and product development roles, with employees at its plants in Dagenham and Halewood unaffected.
A company statement said:
“The global auto industry continues to be in a period of significant disruption as it shifts to electrified mobility. The transformation is particularly intense in Europe where automakers face significant competitive and economic headwinds while also tackling a misalignment between CO2 regulations and consumer demand for electrified vehicles.”
Ford job cuts
Lisa Brankin, managing director of Ford of Britain and Ireland, added: “Making this announcement isn’t something that anybody wants to do, and I appreciate it will have a very significant impact on our employees. It’s not the news anyone wants to hear at any time. So our aim is to try to deliver this through voluntary redundancy.”
A UK government spokesperson said:
“We know this will be a concerning time for workers at Ford UK and their families. While this is a Europe-wide decision taken for commercial reasons, we have asked the company to urgently share its full plans so we can help mitigate the impact in the UK. We have a longstanding partnership with Ford and will continue to work closely with them on their manufacturing future in the UK.”
This is Ford’s second round of UK job cuts in recent years, after it announced in February 2023 that around 1,300 would go, a fifth of its UK workforce.
