GM To Cut South Korean Jobs As Chevy Pullout Looms In Europe
General Motors Co (GM.N) plans to slash its headcount in South Korea next year as it prepares to withdraw its Chevy brand in Europe, a major export market for South Korean-made cars. GM Korea CEO Sergio Rocha has said it plans to launch a "voluntary retirement" scheme open to its 6,000 salaried workers by March in what would be its fourth round of job cuts since 2009, a spokesman said Tuesday. But Rocha said the automaker does not plan to shed production jobs. The 6,000 salaried workers who are eligible to apply for the voluntary retirement program include research and design staff, which amounts to about 2,200. "This is part of our ongoing efforts to enhance operating efficiency," the spokesman, Park Hae-ho, said, without disclosing a target for the job reductions. GM said early this month that it will drop the Chevrolet brand in Europe by the end of 2015, opting to focus on its Opel and Vauxhall lines to try to return to profitability there.