Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday it is planning to make further white collar job cuts in the United States in the face of declining truck sales.
The automakers expects to complete the cuts by August 1 and will not be offering buyout packages, as it has in the past, to encourage employees to quit or retire.
“We will be making cuts but we don't expect to offer voluntary separation,” Ford spokeswoman Marcey Evans told AFP. “There just isn't time to prepare a voluntary program.”
Evans declined to comment on reports that Ford is preparing to eliminate more than 2,000 salaried positions in North America as part of the new cuts.
“The numbers haven't been finalized yet,” she said. “I can't say when the decision will be made but the cuts are primarily in the US.”
The company currently has 24,000 salaried employees in North America, down from 35,000 when it began a massive restructuring program in 2005.
The hourly workforce has been slashed by more than 30,000 workers. Further cuts would require discussions with the union.
Ford said last week it would be slashing production of large truck and sports utility vehicles as soaring pump prices drive US demand for more fuel-efficient cars.
The second-largest US automaker also said it no longer anticipates returning to profitability in 2009 but instead expected to be “about break-even” next year.
