Automotive Jobs Disappearing by the Thousands; AutomotiveCrossing Seeks to Find More and More Jobs for Idle Automotive Workers

September 10, 2008   |    PDF version

Pasadena, CA — High gasoline prices, slowing demand, and slumping sales are causing automotive companies to layoff thousands of workers abruptly. Automotive jobs are increasingly being put on the chopping block, and more work is being extracted from existing workers to save the companies from financial crises. Fortune 500 companies like General Motors and Ford, for example, have been slashing an increasing number of automotive jobs in recent months.

''The automakers are in terrible shape, and jobs are being slashed at an alarming rate to support the deteriorating bottom lines at a variety of automotive companies,'' says Harrison Barnes, CEO of AutomotiveCrossing, a leading job board for automotive professionals.

Automotive companies based in Detroit have announced significant white-collar job cuts this year, amounting to more than 8,400 positions. Several large auto parts suppliers like Delphi Corp., Lear Corp., BorgWarner Inc., and American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. are cutting hundreds of jobs due to the drooping demand for automobiles.
Even BorgWarner, one of the most profitable of the Detroit-based parts suppliers, is downsizing its workforce by 1,000 North American automotive jobs, including 220 salaried positions.

Other big names in the auto industry like GM, Volkswagen, and Chrysler are now looking to developing countries like India to rev up their business. Dana Holding Corp., meanwhile, has scaled back its operations to match market demand, while Linamar, the auto products maker, has announced plans to layoff 400-500 workers, even after raking in double-digit earnings growth earlier this year.

Reports also state that car sales declined in July for the first time in more than two-and-a-half years as rising inflation curbed demand for vehicles.

''Higher commodity prices have impacted auto sales to a great extent. Steel prices have gone up by nearly 40%, copper prices are up by 45%, while natural rubber prices have gone up by 40%'', says Barnes. ''In the process of restructuring, thousands of workers are being removed with little warning from so-called top-notch companies. AutomotiveCrossing seeks to find every automotive job that is active for these workers.''

Barnes adds, ''The automotive world is facing a lean period, and now is the crucial time to keep the industry operating as efficiently as possible. AutomotiveCrossing, the leading automotive job provider in the US, faces the herculean task of finding more jobs for automotive professionals as soon as possible.

''In fact, the job site is doing fairly well recently, with more than 9,000 jobs currently posted on the site in spite of the downturn.''

The top job titles according to searches made on AutomotiveCrossing last month are:

• Automotive technician jobs (1,724 jobs)
• Automotive tech jobs (1,857 jobs)
• Automotive consultant jobs (248 jobs)
• Automotive mechanic jobs (311 jobs)
• Automotive dealer jobs (128 jobs)
• Automotive internship jobs (124 jobs)
  

''There are still many automotive jobs out there. We want to find them all,'' says Barnes.

Unlike other job-search and career sites, AutomotiveCrossing weeds out spam and jobs outside one’s niche, allowing job seekers to search efficiently and specifically. The number of automotive jobs present in the database is expected to get an additional boost in the coming days. For more information on AutomotiveCrossing, please visit www.automotivecrossing.com.

Contact:
Mary Waldron, Editorial Coordinator
EmploymentCrossing
626-243-1821
maryw@employmentcrossing.com

About AutomotiveCrossing:

AutomotiveCrossing is an affiliate of EmploymentCrossing, a powerful and comprehensive organization dedicated to helping professionals find jobs that will enhance their careers. AutomotiveCrossing consolidates every automotive job opening it can find in one convenient location. The website also offers a seven-day free trial to new members.