DETROIT – General Motors laid off roughly 1,000 employees on Friday as the automaker attempts to cut costs and realign priorities amid changing market conditions, according to a person familiar with the decision.
The layoffs, which were announced Friday morning to those impacted, were across the business. Some were due to poor performance, while others were part of a review to reorganize priorities by the automaker, according to the person, who agreed to speak about the decision on the condition of anonymity.
A majority of the employees impacted were salaried workers in suburban Detroit at the automaker’s global technical center in Warren, Michigan, the person said. The United Auto Workers said about 50 union members were included in the layoffs.
The company is targeting $2 billion in fixed cost reductions this year as it deals with slowing U.S. sales, business deterioration in China and a shift in its “all-in” strategy for electric vehicles amid slower-than-expected consumer adoption.
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