Ford to make 3,800 job cuts in Europe over three years

Ford has announced changes to how it operates in Europe, including the elimination of certain job roles, as it focuses on its increasingly electric product portfolio.

The plans include the elimination of approximately 3,800 jobs, which the company says will create a "leaner, more competitive cost structure for Ford in Europe". Ford will now engage in consultation with its social partners across Europe with the intent to achieve the reductions through "voluntary separation programmes".

By 2025, Ford plans to resize its European engineering footprint, resulting in 2,800 fewer jobs. These changes are driven by the transition to fully electric powertrains and reduced vehicle complexity. Ford will maintain an engineering organization of approximately 3,400 roles in Europe, focused on vehicle design and development, as well as the creation of connected services.

Additionally, a leaner cost structure will be created for Ford’s administrative, marketing, sales and distribution functions in Europe, which includes the elimination of approximately 1,000 positions.

“Paving the way to a sustainably profitable future for Ford in Europe requires broad-based actions and changes in the way we develop, build, and sell Ford vehicles. This will impact the organizational structure, talent, and skills we will need in the future,” said Martin Sander, General Manager of Ford Model e in Europe.

“These are difficult decisions, not taken lightly. We recognize the uncertainty it creates for our team, and I assure them we will be offering them our full support in the months ahead. We will engage in consultations with our social partners so we can move forward together on building a thriving future for our business in Europe,” Sander said.