As it works to transition toward an all-electric future and slash billions in costs, Ford is also trimming its workforce across the globe, to the tune of around 3,000 salaried workers in the U.S., Canada, and India, as well as 3,800 employees in Europe. Amid questions over whether or not Australia has a future as a design hub for The Blue Oval, that country also trimmed around 120 people from its workforce last August, and now, Ford Australia will be making additional cuts as well, according to CarExpert.
Ford Australia will trim a total of 250 salaried workers from two departments – vehicle design and development – positions that it has identified as redundant. Some of those employees have reportedly been offered a buyout package of sorts in an attempt to avoid layoffs, but ultimately, it’s seeking to reduce its staff of 1,400 salaried workers in these particular departments, regardless. Ford will offer a “voluntary separation program for approximately 250 of our 1400 salaried product development and design employees,” a spokesperson confirmed. “The program will allow us to balance employee levels with the next stage of our product development work.”
This move comes on the heels of launch of the all-new next-generation Ford Ranger and Everest, a process that was led by the Ford Australia design team. Despite rumors to the contrary, The Blue Oval insists that Australia “will continue to lead Ranger and Everest engineering and design work globally, as well as contribute to other global programs.”
True to form, that same team has been involved in the development of multiple global models in recent years, including the latest version of the Escort and Taurus sold in the Chinese market. FoMoCo also recently invested $12 million to renovate the Ford Australia Design Center, and it continues to sink around $500 million each year into its operations in that same country.
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