Ford apparently wants to cut jobs in Europe
There are fears that product development jobs will be relocated to the US as the automaker prepares for an electric vehicle future

According to IG Metall - Germany's largest union - Ford plans to cut thousands of jobs in Europe and move more product development work to the US to prepare for an electric vehicle future.
The union, which represents more than 2.2 million German workers in the automotive, electronics and metals industries, said on Monday evening that the company had announced internally that it would cut up to 3,200 jobs in Germany and other job cuts in other European countries expected.
According to the union, up to 65 percent of jobs at Ford's European development centers are at risk, and 20 percent of administrative jobs are set to be eliminated. Most positions are to be cut in Germany, but locations in Belgium and Great Britain could also be affected.
Ford employs around 34,000 people in Europe, more than half of them in Germany. The EU plans to phase out sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035, which some automakers want to delay.
"What [Ford's plans] would mean for our region is unimaginable for the people of Cologne," a regional union of IG Metall said on Monday, referring to the Ford plant in the city. "We look with great concern to the future of German research and development and thus also to the future of the German Ford locations.
Ford has been shedding jobs in Europe for years and repositioning its brand to sell fewer vehicle types and to differentiate itself in a market saturated with increasingly indistinguishable electric vehicles.
In November, CEO Jim Farley warned that electric car production would require 40 percent less labor than internal combustion engine vehicles.
IG Metall said Ford cited lower production in Europe due to supply chain issues, price cuts by competitor Tesla and the energy crisis as reasons for the latest round of job cuts.
Ford did not comment on the numbers provided by the union, but said the company "needs to continue to improve its performance in Europe and elsewhere" and that it informed German works councils of its plans "at least as early as October".
Ford said in January it was severing a key part of its two-year-old alliance with German automaker Volkswagen as it wants to launch vehicles based on its own technology rather than the rival's systems.





