Automaker Volkswagen is primarily relying on early retirement schemes as it reduces its workforce.
By 2030, around 14,000 employees will have left the company through this route, according to a special bulletin from the works council seen by Reuters on Wednesday. In addition, nearly 5,000 employees are expected to retire as scheduled by then. "Around 20,000 departures from the company by 2030 are already contractually secured," said HR chief Gunnar Kilian, according to the information bulletin, at a works council meeting in June. A total of 1,300 employees have accepted severance offers.
Volkswagen aims to cut 35,000 jobs in Germany by 2030. Of these, 30,000 positions will be eliminated at sites in western Germany, excluding Osnabrück. Currently, Volkswagen employs around 130,000 people in Germany. As job security is guaranteed through the end of 2030, there are to be no compulsory redundancies. The severance program currently applies to employees in indirect areas, such as administration and development. According to the bulletin, citing Kilian, the program could be extended to production staff no earlier than the summer of 2026.
(Reporting by Christina Amann. For inquiries, please contact our newsroom at Berlin.Newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for politics and economy) or Frankfurt.Newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for companies and markets))
