GM cuts hundreds of jobs across the globe

General Motors is slashing hundreds of jobs across its global footprint in a move to optimize operations, a company spokesman confirmed in an email to Automotive Dive.

The automaker is eliminating 507 jobs at the GM Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, according to a Nov. 15 Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice. Another 50 GM employees represented by the United Autoworkers were also affected, though a spokesperson for the union did not disclose the type or location of the impacted jobs. 

GM spokesperson Kevin Kelly said the automaker’s actions boost its marketplace position, adding that the “adjustments were strategic.” 

“In order to win in this competitive market, we need to optimize for speed and excellence.” Kelly said in an email. “This includes operating with efficiency, ensuring we have the right team structure, and focusing on our top priorities as a business.”

Positions eliminated at GM’s Warren, Michigan, site included an assortment of roles such as accounting, business analysis, corporate planning, cost engineering, data analysis and engineering and others, according to the WARN notice. 

While CNBC reported that the automaker was cutting roughly 1,000 workers, Kelly would not confirm the total number of layoffs, instead noting that “the adjustments are happening in various regions around the world.”

The job cuts followed a strong Q3 for the automaker, which reported $48.8 billion in quarterly revenues, a 10.7% year-over-year increase, despite an 8.8% YoY drop in global vehicle sales. GM’s Q3 revenue performance marked four consecutive quarters in which the company exceeded analysts’ revenue estimates. 

UAW VP Mike Booth was critical of the layoffs. “GM is trying to cut around 50 UAW jobs, when they’re making record profits,” Booth said in an emailed statement.