Ford to cut jobs as sales level off, stock price lags
Published 7:55 am Thursday, May 18, 2017
DETROIT — Ford is getting leaner as it faces an onslaught of challenges, from slowing U.S. sales to high-tech challengers to its own disgruntled shareholders.
The 114-year-old automaker said Wednesday it is cutting 1,400 non-factory jobs in North America and Asia Pacific. The company will offer voluntary early retirement and separation packages to around 10 percent of its salaried workers in departments such as sales, marketing and human resources. It expects the actions to be complete by the end of September.
The cuts are the biggest to Ford’s U.S. white collar staff since 2007, when 7,200 workers took voluntary buyout packages.
In an email to employees, Ford said it wants to strengthen its core business and invest aggressively in new opportunities. “Reducing costs and becoming as lean and efficient as possible also remain part of that work,” the company wrote.