Photo: Medium
Germany was slower in embracing the greener side of automaking, but now that it’s aiming to have 25 percent of its entire fleet electric by 2030, the “electric revolution” is underway. It will come at a cost, a new study highlights.
Commissioned by trade unions and leading car makers, and conducted by the Fraunhofer Institute, the study shows that at least 75,000 jobs will be lost when the country makes the shift to electric, The Local reports. That number can be higher if the change is made more swiftly, the findings show.
While new jobs will also be created, they won’t compensate for the lost ones, and the reason for that is simple: it takes fewer people (and about 30 percent less time) to put together an electric car, as compared to one that runs on gas or diesel. That means that both the government and carmakers will have to find ways to phase out or retrain current jobs to make room for the new, fewer and more specialized ones.
The most affected areas will be that of smaller auto parts suppliers, engine and gearbox manufacturing. In their stead, there will be room for battery plant technicians and workers in other electric car-related areas, with estimates showing that as many as 25,000 new jobs will be created.
Even with all the necessary measures taken by concerned parties, not everyone will survive the “revolution,” IG Metall chief Jörg Hofmann told reporters. “There will be suppliers who won't be able to adapt their business model, especially among small- and medium-sized companies,” he explained.
Larger companies will have to develop retraining and retirement schemes to make the impact less painful. Volkswagen is already working on that, representative Bernd Osterloh said, adding that the company plans on “using the opportunities presented by the transformation” to become a leading player on the green car market.
While new jobs will also be created, they won’t compensate for the lost ones, and the reason for that is simple: it takes fewer people (and about 30 percent less time) to put together an electric car, as compared to one that runs on gas or diesel. That means that both the government and carmakers will have to find ways to phase out or retrain current jobs to make room for the new, fewer and more specialized ones.
The most affected areas will be that of smaller auto parts suppliers, engine and gearbox manufacturing. In their stead, there will be room for battery plant technicians and workers in other electric car-related areas, with estimates showing that as many as 25,000 new jobs will be created.
Even with all the necessary measures taken by concerned parties, not everyone will survive the “revolution,” IG Metall chief Jörg Hofmann told reporters. “There will be suppliers who won't be able to adapt their business model, especially among small- and medium-sized companies,” he explained.
Larger companies will have to develop retraining and retirement schemes to make the impact less painful. Volkswagen is already working on that, representative Bernd Osterloh said, adding that the company plans on “using the opportunities presented by the transformation” to become a leading player on the green car market.
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