Ford job cuts: 1,300 to go in the UK

Following its announcement confirming it will return to Formula 1 as a technical partner with Red Bull in 2026, Ford is to cut 3,800 jobs across Europe over the next three years, including 1,300 in the UK, 

The cuts are part of Ford’s restructuring process as it switches to an electric only product strategy in Europe, with 2,800 jobs going in product development. General Manager Ford Model E, Micheal Sander said of the cuts “By 2025 we plan to resize our European engineering footprint, resulting in approximately 2,800 fewer jobs

“Of the 2,800 jobs 1,700 will come from our workforce in Germany, 1,000 from the UK, and another 100 from other locations across Europe,” Sander said. A further 1,000 jobs will be cut from Ford's admin services, split across Germany, the UK and the rest of Europe.

Ford European job cuts

Ford’s decision to reduce its workforce is driven by its move to fully-electric powertrains by 2035 and the need to reduce the complexity in its vehicles and operations. Ford’s collaboration with VW that sees the US firm utilise the German giant’s EV technology, including its MEB platform for passenger cars, is key to the decision. Ford's engineering operations will increasingly focus on 'top hat' bodies that will be fitted to VW underpinngs. 

3,400 engineering roles will remain within Ford of Europe, focusing on design and the development of connected services.

“We have to become more efficient with the way we're using our overall engineering capacity in Europe, which is why we have to make these adjustments” explained Sander. “We can use global platforms and share technology globally in order to improve our overall efficiency. We can build on the core technology provided by Ford in the US and modify it specifically for the European market to compete successfully.

“Nothing has changed about our strategy ... On the passenger vehicle side, we will compete with a smaller, more focused portfolio of cars clearly inspired by our American heritage and highly differentiated electric vehicles in a very competitive marketplace. We are committed to Europe, we're committed to building a thriving business for our engineers, suppliers, dealers, and most importantly our customers and our communities in which we operate around Europe.

“But we have to respond to changing market conditions, increasing material costs, energy costs, and more and more competitors entering the market, which means that we are preparing our organisation and product line-up to compete and win in a region that is facing unprecedented economic but also geo-political headwinds.

“To deliver a sustainable, profitable future for Ford Europe based on these pillars this requires growth-based action and changes in the way we develop, build and sell our vehicles, which will impact the organisational structure, talent and skills we need in the future. We need a leaner and more competitive cost structure across Europe.”

Ford’s UK technical centre in Dunton, Essex will remain focusing on both European and global product development.