Ford Motor Co. is planning additional layoffs to its salaried work force in the coming weeks, according to people with knowledge of the matter, although the cuts are not expected to be as large as previous rounds.
The automaker, which could announce the moves as early as next week, is expected to prune workers from multiple business units, including its Ford Blue combustion vehicle division and its Model e electric vehicle unit, according to the people.
The Wall Street Journal reported the impending job cuts Thursday.
“We’ve got nothing to announce,” a Ford spokesman said in a statement to Automotive News. “We’ve consistently said that we’ll align our staffing around the skills and expertise needed to deliver on the Ford+ growth plan and provide customers with leading product and services. That includes hiring in key areas.”
Last year, Ford laid off about 3,000 workers around the globe, mostly in the U.S. The company said this year it would slash more than 1,000 jobs in China and some 3,800 jobs in Europe over the next three years.
The latest cuts are expected to be on a smaller order of magnitude than those actions, according to one of the sources.
CEO Jim Farley has said Ford needs to rein in costs and look for different kinds of workers as it transitions the business to focus on electrified, connected products and software services. He has said Ford is at a roughly $7 billion cost disadvantage compared to some of its rivals.
The cuts would be the latest in a list of actions by Detroit 3 automakers this year to trim their work forces.
General Motors this year offered buyouts to its salaried work force, and about 5,000 accepted, avoiding layoffs. Stellantis in April announced it would offer buyouts to thousands of hourly and salaried workers.