The Bosch Group recently announced that due to the severe market environment, the company will lay off employees at multiple factories. CEO Stefan Hartung stated in an interview, "Bosch cannot avoid further layoffs," with the main reasons including a sluggish global automotive market, increased competition from China, and a lack of consumer confidence. Additionally, the automotive industry is in the process of transitioning from internal combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles, which will also lead to a significant loss of traditional jobs.

Hartung pointed out that although the transition to electrification is a trend in the industry, the progress has been slower than expected, which to some extent helps to extend the lifespan of internal combustion engine production lines, thereby alleviating short-term employment impacts. He emphasized that Bosch is actively adjusting its business to cope with future market changes. Nevertheless, layoffs are still inevitable.

By the end of 2024, Bosch's global workforce totals 417,900, a reduction of 11,500 from last year. Among these, the number of employees in Germany decreased by 4,400 to 129,800. According to the company's forecast, by the end of 2032, the company may cut more than 12,000 positions globally, with about 7,000 of those in Germany. Bosch plans to mitigate some of the impact through natural attrition (such as employee retirements), but this approach cannot fully offset the job cuts. Hartung candidly stated that although layoffs are a reluctant choice, the company must adapt to industry trends to ensure long-term competitiveness.

Bosch's performance in 2024 did not meet expectations, with earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) falling to 3.2 billion euros, a significant decrease of one-third from 4.8 billion euros in 2023. The company's total revenue also