Swedish car safety systems maker Autoliv has announced a restructuring plan that will see it cut 8,000 jobs worldwide and close factories in Europe. Autoliv has several factories in Romania with a total of 10,500 employees.

In connection with HotNews.ro, representatives of Autoliv said that at the moment they cannot say what impact the announced measures will have on operations in Romania. Autoliv, best known for making seat belts and airbags, says the plan is aimed at cutting costs and improving the company’s efficiency. When contacted by HotNews.ro, Autoliv Sweden officials said they could not provide figures on how the plan would affect operations in Romania. Considering that 15% of the company’s employees worldwide are in Romania, we can expect the plan to have an effect here as well (layoffs or site closures). Cuts around the world will also affect those in managerial positions, as well as those who work in offices, factories and technical centers.

Autoliv has sales of more than $8 billion worldwide, and of its 69,000 employees, approximately 10,500 are based in Romania, where the Swedes have factories in Brasov, Lugozh, Sfantu Gheorghe, Resica, Rovinara and Onești. Autoliv, which also owns engineering centers locally, announced Thursday a cost-cutting plan that will begin this year and end in 2025, and part of the plan involves cutting its global workforce by 11%, or about 8,000 people.

Autoliv had just over 30,000 employees worldwide 15 years ago, but between 2013 and 2016 it expanded significantly, surpassing 60,000 that year. And last year was a year of expansion, the number of people increased by almost 10,000 people.

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