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West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker has unveiled an initial £500,000 employment support package to help JLR workers taking voluntary redundancy find new jobs.
The rapid-response package, which could be increased further with support from the Department for Work and Pensions, was set up at short notice following JLR’s confirmation that it is cutting up to 4,000 jobs over the next two years.
It aims to help affected workers find new jobs while protecting critical advanced manufacturing and automotive skills within the regional economy.
Parker said: “The news from JLR will be deeply worrying for thousands of workers and their families, many of them here in the West Midlands. My thoughts are with them first and foremost. JLR is hugely important to our region and employs some of the most skilled people in Britain.
“The company has faced an incredibly difficult period, from the cyber attack last year to the impact of the war in the Middle East and continuing instability around global tariffs and trade.”
He added: “The Combined Authority has quickly put together a £500,000 support package for JLR workers who choose to take voluntary redundancy. We will help people find new jobs, connect them with employers and provide skills and careers support where they need it. That half a million-pound package is the starting point, not the limit of our support. If more help is needed, we are ready to do more.”
Parker said he has been in contact with the government and the Business Secretary over the weekend to discuss support for workers and jobs in the region, adding: “These are highly skilled people and I want those skills to stay here in the West Midlands. We have employers across our automotive, advanced manufacturing, research and development and other growing industries who need those skills. Our job now is to bring those opportunities and these workers together.”
WMCA staff have already begun working with the DWP, local authorities, employers and wider partners to coordinate support for affected workers, including careers advice, skills support and job matching, tailored to individual needs.
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