Boeing axes 180 jobs in India amid global restructuring
What's the story
In a major development, Boeing has decided to lay off up to 180 employees at its India Engineering & Technology Center (BIETC) in Bengaluru.
The move comes as part of a broader global workforce reduction strategy, aimed at stabilizing operations after facing financial and production challenges.
Brendan Nelson, Senior Vice President and President of Boeing Global, confirmed the decision in an interview with TOI.
Global downsizing
Boeing's global workforce reduction
Boeing has about 7,000 employees in India, of which nearly 6,500 are located at BIETC.
Nelson said the company overall has shrunk by 10%, which translates to roughly 17,000 employees across the globe.
He confirmed that the Indian workforce has also been reduced as part of this larger restructuring process.
Strategic importance
Despite layoffs, India remains crucial to Boeing's recovery plan
Despite the recent layoffs, Nelson emphasized that India continues to play a vital role in Boeing's recovery strategy.
The company sources extensively from India and with the increasing demand for aircraft from Indian carriers like Air India and Akasa, there's potential for workforce expansion when production stabilizes.
Nelson also highlighted that nearly a quarter of Boeing's 24,000 employees based outside the US are in India.
Supply chain
Indian operations support approximately 320 supply chain partners
Apart from its direct employees, Boeing's India operations also support some 320 supply chain partners. This takes the total workforce associated with the firm to some 14,000.
The company's wholly owned engineering and technology campus in Bengaluru is one of its biggest investments outside the US. It was inaugurated in January last year as part of this strategy.