BMW Job Cuts And The Emerging German-French Industrial Strategy

BMW will cut 8,000 jobs from its 154,000-strong workforce as profitability comes under pressure, with the company projecting that the reduction will be handled through attrition and a voluntary severance program rather than compulsory redundancies in Munich. The initiative begins in October and runs until 2027, targeting employees outside production, with between 30,000 and 40,000 administrative workers expected to be offered an exit. BMW’s profit fell 35% year-on-year in the second quarter, and its core automotive business earnings dropped 60%. The move comes after similar announced cuts at Volkswagen (120,000), Porsche (5,000) and Mercedes (5,500).