Jaguar Land Rover reportedly set to shed up to 4,000 jobs, or 9% of its global workforce

Jaguar Land Rover is drawing up plans to cut as many as 4,000 roles — roughly 9% of the more than 44,000 people it employs worldwide — with the reductions expected to be carried out mainly through a voluntary departure scheme over the next two years. Engineering, sales and marketing functions are said to be the areas most exposed.

The move follows a bruising fiscal year. A cyberattack last September forced a weeks-long production shutdown that wiped out more than a quarter of output and cost the company around £1.9 billion. In the most recent quarter, global sales slid by about 24%, squeezed by higher US tariffs and by Chinese buyers increasingly favoring domestic brands over European models.

The layoffs form one pillar of a broader push to trim £1.7 billion in costs within two years. JLR also intends to deepen cooperation with parent Tata and external partners while lowering its break-even point to an annual output of 300,000 vehicles. CEO PB Balaji said the auto industry is contending with fiercer competition and geopolitical uncertainty, and that a leaner, more efficient organization is needed for a stronger recovery.

UK officials have reacted with concern and are expected to sit down with the company to seek a way forward. A government spokesperson pointed to support already in place, including cheaper electricity for manufacturers, a £4 billion fund for electric-vehicle R&D and a £2 billion program to encourage EV adoption.