BMW’s layoff portal stumbles at launch

BMW’s plan to cut 8,000 jobs in Germany by 2027 has started with a glitch. The company rolled out a voluntary-severance programme last week, giving eligible staff access to personalised offers through its internal HR portal. But when more than 40,000 employees tried to log in, the system slowed down and even crashed at times. Employees reported that status checks were taking too long or the portal was going dark altogether. A BMW spokesperson admitted that traffic spiked sharply once emails went out, saying the surge was “expected” given the curiosity around severance offers. No further technical details were shared. The programme is aimed at administrative staff, not production workers, and is part of BMW’s broader plan to streamline operations. By mid 2027, the company also intends to cut departments and management positions by 20 per cent. BMW is not alone. 2026 has seen a wave of layoffs across the auto industry. Volkswagen is preparing the biggest cuts—around one lakh jobs globally, with factory closures under discussion. Porsche plans to eliminate 9,000 positions by 2035, including 5,000 agreed this year. Renault is reducing up to 20 per cent of its engineering workforce, while General Motors has already let go of 1,700 employees in the US. For HR, the BMW case highlights two realities: large scale restructuring is reshaping the auto sector, and employee experience during layoffs depends as much on technology as on policy. When thousands of careers hinge on a single HR portal, reliability and communication become critical.