Ford Motor is preparing to lay off around 3,000 salaried workers in North America and India, a source told The Wall Street Journal. The layoffs are reportedly intended to impact the company’s software division and its gas and electric-powered manufacturing.
However, Ford spokesperson T.R. Reid told Forbes that there was nothing new to announce, adding that the automaker is realigning jobs with around “skills and expertise.” Reid mentioned a “growth plan” that Ford+ came up with in 2021 that included increasing quality while reducing costs. Ford is reportedly hiring in key areas so it is uncertain whether the layoffs will result in a net reduction of its force.
Ford+ is divided into three predominant operational areas of focus, including the Ford Blue for gas-powered vehicles, the Ford Model E for electric vehicles, and the Ford Pro for commercial vehicles.
In March, the company announced that it expects to lose up to $3 billion on its electric vehicles but expects to turn a profit on the vehicles soon. They added that they still expect to reach their profit expectation of $9 billion to $11 billion for this year.
The news of layoffs comes as other companies prepare to lay off some of their workforce. New Relic, a web tracking and analytics company will let go of some 155 U.S. employees and 57 international employees, according to a statement released by CEO Bill Staples. Looking at “role redundancies [and] roles or skills not aligned with our strategic priorities” was part of the decision-making process behind the layoffs.
Popular rideshare company, Uber, is also expected to let go of around 200 employees, which is around 35 percent of its recruiting team. Uber currently has an estimated 32,000 employees worldwide. However, in an internal memo obtained by the WSJ, the company said that it expects to keep the number of workers flat through the end of the year.
