Job losses at European automotive half suppliers greater than doubled in 2024 because the slowdown within the continent’s automotive {industry} hit the fortunes of its manufacturing provide chain.
Evaluation from the European Affiliation of Automotive Suppliers (Clepa) for the Monetary Instances confirmed that greater than 30,000 jobs had been minimize throughout the {industry} in 2024, in comparison with simply over 15,000 in 2023.
Job creation has additionally slowed and there have been greater than 58,000 internet job losses throughout the {industry} in Europe since 2020.
Companies starting from French tyremaker Michelin to German producer Bosch introduced 1000’s of job cuts up to now 12 months as gross sales of recent autos by European producers have steadily fallen, leaving suppliers with extra capability and little prospect of a rebound in gross sales.
Whereas bigger corporations have minimize jobs and closed crops, some smaller companies have been compelled into chapter 11 or filed for insolvency.
“If there is no more growth for European manufacturers, there is also no more growth for their equipment makers,” mentioned Alexandre Marian, a director at consultancy AlixPartners.
Based on Clepa, automotive half suppliers instantly make use of about 1.7mn folks within the EU.
The decline in demand has adopted the Covid-19 pandemic, conflict in Ukraine and the next inflation. These have dented the competitiveness of European industries at a time when Chinese language rivals are pushing to extend market share.
“Our estimate is that the little growth that we can have on the European market will be taken by the growth of imports, especially Chinese ones,” mentioned Marc Mortureux, director-general of France’s Automotive & Mobility Business Platform (PFA) {industry} physique.
Whereas European suppliers had been attempting to work with native auto teams in China, the large concern was that Chinese language manufacturers would ultimately assemble autos in Europe however with components from China and different nations, he added.
The relative excessive value of EVs and discount of subsidies for the autos in nations similar to Germany have capped their widespread uptake, that means corporations investing in these applied sciences haven’t seen the demand they anticipated.
Based on Clepa, losses of jobs linked to combustion engines since 2020 far outnumbered these created by the shift to EVs. In an indication of the slowdown within the EV market, 4,680 jobs associated to suppliers for battery-run automobiles had been misplaced in 2024, greater than the 4,450 created, Clepa discovered.
European regulation can be a problem for components producers supplying autos with typical engines.
From 2025, the European Fee will tighten guidelines on carbon emissions for carmakers, whereas Brussels additionally plans to convey gross sales of recent combustion engine automobiles to an finish in Europe by 2035.
Laurent Favre, chief government of French provider OPMobility, anticipated the corporate’s industry-leading gasoline tank enterprise to dwindle in Europe in consequence.
“We have about 10 factories making fuel tanks in Europe. Obviously, their activity will be impacted,” he mentioned.
Favre and different {industry} figures have referred to as for a rethink on incoming penalties. Regardless of Germany slashing EV subsidies in 2023, Chancellor Olaf Scholz mentioned in Brussels just lately that the EU wanted “incentives” for electrical automobiles and that levies on automotive emissions ought to “not affect the financial liquidity” of corporations investing within the electrical car transition.
German corporations which have been compelled out of enterprise embody seat producer Recaro, luxurious automotive half maker Walter Klein and ae group, which makes mild steel die-cast elements utilized in many components for automobiles.
Christian Kleinjung, ae’s chief government, in August mentioned that makes an attempt to restructure had not staved off “the slump in demand from car manufacturers”.
Whereas EV gross sales are anticipated to extend, suppliers are getting ready for a sustained interval of decrease development, with some asserting long-term workers discount plans. The Clepa figures don’t embody job losses which have been introduced for the years forward.
Forvia, a maker of dashboards, door panels and exhaust techniques, mentioned in February it will minimize 10,000 jobs out of its European workforce of over 75,000 by 2028.
In November, Michelin mentioned it will shut two French manufacturing unit making tyres for lorries and vans. The measure, affecting greater than 1,200 workers, was resulting from “structural overcapacity” due to low value competitors in Asia.
Stéphane Destugues, representing the steel employees at France’s CFDT union, criticised automotive producers for squeezing prices to such an extent lately that suppliers can’t survive.
“It doesn’t allow suppliers to invest as much as they should to protect jobs and prepare for the future,” he mentioned.
For these making investments, many are trying past Europe. OPMobility has launched a web site in Austin, Texas, to serve purchasers similar to Tesla and is opening factories in China.
“We want to stick with our historic clients but we have to look for growth elsewhere. We hardly expect any significant growth in the European automotive sector in the next five years,” Favre added.
