Bosch is planning drastic job cuts: 13,000 jobs at risk!

Bosch is planning drastic job cuts: 13,000 jobs at risk!

The automotive supplier Bosch is facing far-reaching restructuring in Germany, which will particularly affect the Baden-Württemberg regions. In total, the company plans to cut around 22,000 jobs by the end of 2030. This is happening as part of the necessary efficiency improvements and cost-cutting measures that were made necessary by the ongoing crisis in the automotive industry. The Stuttgart-Feuerbach, Schwieberdingen and Waiblingen locations, where the largest number of job cuts will be concentrated, are particularly affected.

In Stuttgart-Feuerbach, one of the main locations, up to 3,500 jobs in the areas of development, sales, administration and production of drive components are at risk. This has already caused concern in the city. Finance Mayor Thomas Fuhrmann described the size of the job cuts as surprising and expressed the hope that the cuts could be spread over a longer period of time.

Regional effects

The situation in Schwieberdingen is also tense. Around 1,750 jobs are expected to be eliminated here over the next five years. Mayor Stefan Benker informed that the city had been informed in advance about the economic challenges facing the automotive industry. This means that local politicians are now working on offering those affected prospects in other companies.

In Waiblingen, however, the situation and the reactions continue to worsen. 560 jobs in the production of connection technology are to be cut here by the end of 2028. Mayor Sebastian Wolf emphasized that the city will actively try to place Bosch employees with other employers. Employee protests against the plans have already been documented, highlighting the heavy emotional and economic weight that the closure of such an important site will have on the local community.

The situation in Renningen is particularly worrying, where there is great uncertainty and fear of existence among employees, although this location is not directly affected by the current job cuts. Mayor Melanie Hettmer spoke of the psychological and economic stress that this uncertain situation brings with it for employees.

Economic backgrounds

The reasons for these drastic measures go beyond regional problems. Bosch's entire mobility division has already cut 9,000 jobs since the beginning of 2024, with half of those jobs being actual layoffs. Bosch is also pursuing annual savings of approximately 2.5 billion euros, to be achieved through a variety of strategies, including the use of artificial intelligence and the reduction of material and material costs.

In view of this situation, both the works council and IG Metall have announced opposition to the plans. Redundancies for operational reasons are ruled out until 2027, but severance payments could be a way to mitigate the difficult phase for employees. Nevertheless, there are great concerns among the workforce, and the protests in Waiblingen could be the beginning of a broader discussion about the challenges and prospects of employees in the automotive industry.

The coming years will be crucial for Bosch and the Baden-Württemberg region, as the effects of austerity measures in the automotive industry will pose significant challenges not only to the workforce, but also to the entire economy. The developments in the affected cities are representative of the changes the industry is experiencing, and the question of how the diversity of experiences and reactions of employees can be heard and taken into account during this time remains open.

SWR reports that the city of Stuttgart is hoping for a reduction in job losses, while daily news the nationwide dimensions of the reduction options and their reasons are analyzed in detail.