General Motors confirms Canadian staff impacted in 1,000-job global layoffs
General Motors (GM) is cutting a thousand jobs worldwide, and some Canadian employees have been affected.
A source familiar with the matter confirmed to CNBC that 1,000 salaried employees globally were laid off from the company’s software and services division. That includes roughly 600 jobs at the GM tech campus near Detroit. Affected workers were notified Monday morning.
In a statement to Daily Hive, a GM Canada spokesperson confirmed that Canadian employees were included in those cuts.
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“As we build GM’s future, we must simplify for speed and excellence, make bold choices, and prioritize the investments that will have the greatest impact,” reads the statement.
“As a result, we’re reducing certain teams within the Software and Services organization, including a small percentage of our team at the Canadian Technical Center, where we continue to employ over 1200 engineers.”
GM Canada did not specify exactly how many Canadian workers were laid off at the CTC, which has locations in Oshawa and Markham, Ontario.
The company employs about 5,342 workers across Canada, according to its latest numbers from 2020.
These layoffs come months after changes in leadership overseeing GM operations, including the departure of Mike Abbott, executive vice president of software and services, who had to step down in March due to health reasons.
Last April, GM Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson revealed that 5,000 salaried employees took buyouts to leave the company as it aimed to reach a US$2 billion cost-cutting target.
He disclosed the number of employees at an investor conference in New York. CNN reported that all US salaried staff with at least five years at GM had been offered the buyouts.
Three packages were offered based on seniority and service to the company. The program was voluntary, but GM told workers that “employees are strongly encouraged to consider the program.”