BMW Aims to Cut 8,000 Jobs Without Affecting Factory Workers

BMW is planning to eliminate around 8,000 positions globally, with most cuts expected to hit German corporate roles, while factory workers remain excluded. The automaker is looking to trim costs and restore profitability amid sliding sales in its key Asian market and expensive production at home. The job cuts will target areas like administration, research and development, and planning, with management ranks also being streamlined. The German voluntary departure program is expected to kick off in October and continue through the end of 2027. BMW has reached an agreement with its works council on restructuring, but has not detailed the targeted headcount. The company employed around 150,000 people globally, including 87,436 in Germany, at the end of 2025. The cuts are driven by an increasingly uncomfortable collection of problems, including sharply fallen sales in China, US tariffs, expensive European manufacturing, and geopolitical uncertainty. BMW’s new CEO, Milan Nedeljkovic, has promised to accelerate the company’s existing cost-cutting efforts, warning staff that difficult times lie ahead. The company is not alone in its restructuring efforts, with Volkswagen, Mercedes, and Porsche also agreeing plans involving tens of thousands of job reductions.