Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is preparing to slash up to 500 management roles in the UK, citing mounting pressure from American trade tariffs and declining exports.
The announcement comes just weeks after the carmaker paused shipments to the United States, following a spike in import duties triggered by a new US trade policy.
Although tariffs have been partially reduced after a UK-US agreement, the impact has already begun to filter through the company’s operations.
The cutback, representing up to 1.5% of JLR’s UK workforce, will be carried out through a voluntary redundancy scheme.
Export pause and tariffs hit Q2 sales
JLR experienced a decline in sales for the quarter ending June 2025, a drop the company attributes to the temporary halt in exports to the US market and the phasing out of older Jaguar models.
The carmaker, which employs more than 30,000 people in the UK, had paused shipments following US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a 10% tariff on UK-made vehicles.
The tariff was later lowered from 27.5% to 10% following a bilateral trade deal, but this still marks a fourfold increase from the previous 2.5% rate.
While the tax is levied on importers, JLR’s profit margins were squeezed enough to prompt the temporary suspension of shipments and ultimately initiate job cuts.
The firm resumed US exports only after the revised trade deal took effect, but the interruption had already affected its financials and triggered internal restructuring.
Management roles affected, not factory workers
The cuts will primarily affect JLR’s UK-based managerial staff. The company stressed that the move is part of “normal business practice”.
According to JLR, the goal is to streamline operations without disrupting core production or its transition towards electric vehicle manufacturing.
The firm has been recruiting for roles related to its EV roadmap, and there is no indication of reductions in technical or factory floor staff at this stage.
However, JLR’s Defender, one of its top-performing models built in Slovakia, still faces the original 27.5% tariff due to being manufactured outside the UK. That remains a separate issue not covered by the recent UK-US trade agreement.
Tariff impact despite record earnings
Just months before the announcement, JLR reported £2.5 billion in profit for the year ending March 2025 — its strongest financial performance in over a decade.
However, analysts believe the US tariff environment has undermined some of that momentum. Automotive economist Professor David Bailey noted that despite ramping up hiring for its EV transition, JLR’s pause in US shipments and the tariff hike have put pressure on its operating structure.
The firm’s strong earnings were achieved in part by capitalising on luxury vehicle demand and efficiency gains, but the shift in the trade landscape has forced a reassessment.
Political response and future strategy
Before JLR announced the redundancies, Labour MP Preet Kaur Gill pointed to the tariff reduction deal as a major step in protecting UK automotive jobs.
She noted that the trade arrangement helped preserve 12,000 positions.
However, the new round of job losses underscores the fragile balance between international policy shifts and domestic employment outcomes.
With JLR pushing ahead with its electric vehicle strategy and international expansion, the firm’s next steps will likely involve further internal restructuring and continued engagement with policymakers on trade terms.
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