Ford to cut 6,000 engineering jobs

17 Jun 2002

(AP) Ford Motor Co. plans to cut 6,000 jobs from its 29,000-person product development staff over the next several years, The New York Times reported. The cutbacks by the nation's No. 2 automaker are part of an aggressive cost-cutting program that will include minor modifications noticeable in its products. Larger modifications include using computer-design techniques to save $700 million next year.

Cutbacks in product development staff will be achieved mainly by reducing the number of engineers hired on long-term contracts but not on Ford's permanent payroll, the automaker said. The company also will rely on retirements and not replacing employees who leave. Spokesman Chris Vinyard said Ford doesn't "contemplate anything that would be characterized as a layoff" of career employees.