The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has announced that it is launching a voluntary redundancy scheme, almost a year after a cyberattack disrupted the company’s operations and forced production to stop for several weeks.
The carmaker said it aims to reduce costs by around £1.7 billion over the next two years as it responds to changing conditions in the global automotive market.
The Times reported on Saturday that up to 4,000 jobs could be affected, partly because of tariffs and weaker vehicle sales. However, JLR told the BBC that it had not confirmed a specific number of job losses.
The company said the workforce changes were intended to make the organisation simpler, increase efficiency and strengthen its ability to withstand future challenges.
A JLR spokesperson said employees and trade union representatives had been informed that salaried employees and members of the management team would be given the option to leave the company voluntarily. The company added that more details would first be communicated to its employees.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the union had been warning for some time about the serious pressures facing the automotive sector. She described the situation as a “perfect storm” and argued that the industry had experienced a gradual decline in jobs under successive governments.
Graham said intensive discussions had taken place over the weekend to explore ways of protecting employment. She is expected to meet JLR chief executive PB Balaji and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds next week.
Unite national officer Des Quinn described the situation as extremely concerning for JLR employees. He said the union was working continuously to achieve the best possible result for workers.
The government said it had introduced measures to support the UK automotive industry, including reducing electricity costs for manufacturers and providing financial assistance for the production and purchase of zero-emission vehicles.
Reynolds was also reportedly in discussions with West Midlands mayor Richard Parker about ways to assist JLR and its employees.
JLR said that over the previous three years it had invested in strengthening its brands and preparing for the production of a new generation of vehicles.
In July, the company had estimated that fewer than 300 employees would leave as part of cost-cutting measures announced at that time.
JLR’s global headquarters are located in Whitley, Coventry, while its UK manufacturing facilities include plants in Solihull, Wolverhampton and Halewood on Merseyside. The company employs around 30,000 people in the UK and approximately another 10,000 at facilities overseas.
The cyberattack in September 2025 forced JLR to suspend manufacturing operations across its plants for several weeks. During the shutdown, no vehicles were produced.
The disruption contributed to a 27% decline in the company’s overall production and had a significant impact on one of the West Midlands’ largest employers. The financial damage caused by the cyberattack and the resulting production losses was estimated at approximately £1.9 billion.
In June, JLR announced plans to reduce its costs by around £1.7 billion over the following years as part of efforts to recover from the attack. The company said the savings would come from areas including materials, warranty expenses and fixed operating costs.
