Ford cutting down 12,000 jobs in Europe; Germany, UK to be hardest hit

Ford Motor is reportedly planning to cut about 20 per cent of the workforce across its European operations, apart from launching new models and increasing focus on electric vehicles in an attempt to bring the lossmaking region back to profit.

Germany, UK and Russia are likely to be hardest hit by the cuts, which total about 12,000 jobs and staff employed at joint ventures, according to media reports.

Ford had recently announced that it will shut down its engine plant in Wales next year, costing about 1,700 jobs, which came just a month after the announcement that it will be axing 7,000 jobs worldwide.