Bosch cuts another 13,000 jobs

German industrial giant Bosch, the world's largest supplier of automotive components, will cut another 13,000 jobs by 2030, mainly from its mobility division plants in its home country, amid the crisis in the automotive industry, international media reports. The layoffs affect around 10% of Bosch's total workforce in Germany.

Stefan Grosch, Bosch's human resources director, announced last week: "We urgently need to increase the competitiveness of the mobility division and continue to reduce our costs in the long term. Unfortunately, this means that we have to make further layoffs, beyond those already announced. Unfortunately, we have no alternative."

In this context, the IG Metall union, which represents workers in German industry, reacted. Frank Sell, chairman of the mobility division's employee council, said: "There is no doubt that the situation in the German and European automotive sector is extremely tense. However, we strongly reject this historic level of layoffs without simultaneous commitments regarding facilities in Germany.”

The union accuses Bosch of causing "devastating social disruption in many regions.”

At the beginning of the year, the company announced that it would have to let go of 9,000 employees at its mobility division in Germany.

This month, Bosch also announced severe cost-cutting measures amid the crisis in the automotive industry.

Markus Heyn, head of the mobility division, and Stefan Grosch, head of human resources, were quoted by the Stuttgarter Zeitung and Stuttgarter Nachrichten newspapers as saying that the German group would cut costs by 2.5 billion euros a year.

The company has been working on a cost-cutting plan for some time. However, its management did not specify a specific savings target, but said that further layoffs were inevitable.

Heyn said: "The entire industry is undergoing a major transformation. We must continue to focus on maintaining our competitiveness. The first important steps have been taken, but there is still a lot to do.”

Grosch, for his part, explained that the cost gap will be significantly reduced in the coming years, with the results to be seen by 2030 at the latest.

Bosch has been implementing a layoff program since 2023, particularly in the supply sector. The company's CEO, Stefan Hartung, said Bosch expected competitive pressures in the sector to continue next year as the industry faces increasing trade barriers and falling prices. The company official believes that in 2026 we will continue to see significant technological developments and innovations in the global automotive sector, "but the industry will remain under pressure, will continue to be limited in terms of volumes, and structural adjustments will continue, so the automotive sector will remain extremely competitive and it will be a fight for every cent.”

Hartung claims that Bosch sales could grow by around 2% in 2025, from 90.5 billion euros in 2024.