Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume signals up to 100,000 job cuts and possible plant closures

Volkswagen faces a profitability gap of about 20 % compared with peers and has launched a broad restructuring programme. CEO Oliver Blume told staff that, assuming labour costs remain unchanged, a theoretical calculation points to roughly 50 000 additional jobs worldwide being at risk. Combined with the 50 000 positions already slated for removal by 2030, the total could reach around 100 000 jobs, many in Germany. Blume also said four German plants – Emden, Hannover, Zwickau and Neckarsulm – have no confirmed competitive utilisation and could see production wind‑down between 2031 and 2034, though he prefers “smarter solutions” to outright closures. The plan aims to cut administrative and infrastructure costs, simplify the model range, reduce production capacity to about 9 million vehicles a year and lift the operating margin to roughly 6.5 % by 2029. The restructuring is being evaluated across all brands, subsidiaries and regions, with the company already negotiating voluntary exits and early retirements for thousands of employees.