Overview
- Volkswagen says more than 25,000 employee departures are contractually fixed toward its goal of cutting 35,000 German jobs by 2030 without compulsory redundancies.
- VW reports the workforce has already shrunk by over 11,000 since late 2023, relying on early retirement, expanded partial retirement and voluntary severance that can reach about €100,000 after 20 years of service.
- Factory costs at Wolfsburg, Emden and Zwickau are down by roughly 30 percent, and VW has streamlined internal structures by disbanding about one third of brand-level committees.
- ZF’s leadership says a €500 million savings package will stabilize its loss-making passenger-drive Division E, which is expected to shed about 7,600 jobs by 2030.
- At ZF’s Schweinfurt site, 835 roles in Division E and roughly 130 in other areas are slated for reduction with offers including severance up to two years’ salary, special partial-retirement options and shorter working hours, with implementation running from November 1, 2025 to February 15, 2026; IG Metall defends confrontational advocacy as part of social partnership.