General Motors Layoffs: 1,000 jobs cut to improve efficiency

What’s going on at General Motors?

General Motors (GM) has reportedly eliminated approximately 1,000 jobs in an effort to cut costs and realign its priorities.

“In order to win in this competitive market, we need to optimize for speed and excellence,” GM spokesperson Kevin Kelly told CNBC in an emailed statement.”

“This includes operating with efficiency, ensuring we have the right team structure, and focusing on our top priorities as a business.”

The reduction comes just months after the automaker trimmed the size of its software and services organization in August.

SEE ALSO
• Audi to eliminate thousands of non-production roles
• Nissan to cut 9,000 jobs, misread hybrid demand
• 17,000 Boeing positions to be axed over ‘coming months’

Impact on Canadian staff

Samfiru Tumarkin LLP is working to determine if Canadian employees are affected by the latest round of layoffs at GM.

According to LinkedIn, the company employs more than 4,800 people in the country.

Your rights

In Canada, non-unionized employees at GM are entitled to full severance pay when they lose their jobs due to downsizing, corporate restructuring, or the closure of the business.

This applies to individuals working full-time, part-time, or hourly in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. In some cases, this can also apply to independent contractors.

Key Severance Facts:

• Severance can be as much as 24 months’ pay—depending on age, length of service, position at the company, and other factors.
• In addition to salary, severance may cover bonuses, commissions, and other compensation.
• You have up to two years from the date of your termination to pursue full severance pay—regardless of any employer-imposed deadlines, which aren’t legally enforceable.

WATCH: Employment lawyer Lior Samfiru explains severance rights if you’ve been downsized on an episode of the Employment Law Show.

Before you sign a severance package

Use our firm’s free Severance Pay Calculator to confirm that the offer you received from your employer is fair.

This interactive tool has helped millions of Canadians determine their severance entitlements.

In the event that your employer’s offer falls short of what our calculator says you’re owed, it’s very likely you’ve been wrongfully dismissed and should contact an experienced employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP.

If you’ve already accepted a severance offer, don’t panic. Connect with a member of our team as soon as possible.

LEARN MORE
• Severance pay for provincially regulated employees
• Rights to severance for auto sector staff
• Are severance packages different during mass layoffs?
• Severance entitlements in a recession

Major layoffs continue

As 2024 draws to a close, GM isn’t the only major employer trimming its headcount.

Other big names, including AMD, Align Technology, Mozilla Foundation, Dropbox, Tucows, Meta, Visa, Nokia, Deloitte, ApplyBoard, Qualcomm, and IBM, have also pulled out the axe.

SEE ALSO
• Hundreds of temporary CRA workers to be axed in December
• Amazon Layoffs: Nearly 14,000 managers could be axed to cut costs
• Where are layoffs happening in Canada?

Lost your job? Contact us

If you’ve been fired or let go for any reason, contact the experienced employment law team at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP.

Our lawyers in Ontario, Alberta, and B.C. have successfully represented tens of thousands of non-unionized individuals.

In addition to severance package negotiations, we can assist you on a broad range of employment matters, including:

If you’re a non-unionized employee who needs help with a workplace issue, contact us or call 1-855-821-5900 to get the advice you need and the compensation you deserve.

Disclaimer: The materials above are provided as general information about the rights of non-unionized employees in Canada. It is not specific to any one company and should not be read as suggesting any improper conduct on the part of any specific employer, or a relationship between Samfiru Tumarkin LLP and a specific employer.