General Motors began laying off between 500 and 600 salaried information technology employees on Monday as the automaker restructures its IT operations and cuts costs, according to CNBC.
The reductions are concentrated in two locations: Austin, Texas, and Warren, Michigan. A person familiar with the plans, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the layoffs, provided those details. GM confirmed the cuts but declined to give specific numbers or other details about the scope of the reductions.
In a written statement, the company said, "GM is transforming its Information Technology organization to better position the company for the future. As part of that work, we have made the difficult decision to eliminate certain roles globally. We are grateful for the contributions of the employees affected and are committed to supporting them through this transition."
The layoffs come despite GM still actively recruiting in the IT space. As of Monday, the automaker had 82 open IT positions listed on its careers website, including roles involving artificial intelligence, motorsports, and autonomous vehicles. That combination of cuts and continued hiring points to a shift in the types of skills GM wants in its technology workforce rather than an across-the-board pullback.
GM reported a global salaried workforce of about 68,000 employees at the end of last year, including roughly 47,000 white-collar workers in the United States. The 500 to 600 affected by Monday's action represent less than one percent of that total, but the cuts follow a pattern of regular workforce reviews the company has carried out in recent years.
In October, GM laid off more than 200 Computer-Aided Design engineers, known as CAD engineers, citing what it described as business conditions at the time. The company has said it regularly reevaluates its salaried workforce based on expected needs and evolving skill requirements.
Bloomberg News first reported the cuts before GM's confirmation.
