Jaguar Land Rover opens voluntary redundancy programme after cyber attack — up to 4,000 jobs reported at risk

Jaguar Land Rover has launched a voluntary redundancy programme offering salaried and management team members the opportunity to leave the business. The company said it will share further information with colleagues first, did not confirm the scale of cuts and did not rule out some compulsory redundancies.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told the BBC he will meet JLR executives and Unite leaders early next week to discuss ways to "mitigate any job losses." Reynolds said the government would not provide a bailout to "save" the company but left open support for "long-term investment in the future" if conditions are met.

The Times has reported as many as 4,000 jobs could be lost, but JLR has not confirmed that figure. Unite has warned the cuts are likely to hit mainly white-collar workers; general secretary Sharon Graham said the union has been negotiating intensively over the weekend to reduce job losses and described a "perfect storm" facing the sector.

The redundancies follow a September 2025 cyber attack that halted all JLR manufacturing for several weeks, causing a 27% drop in overall production. Analysts estimated the attack and lost manufacturing cost the company £1.9bn. In June, JLR announced plans to cut around £1.7bn in costs over coming years as part of its recovery.

Chancellor John Healey is due to deliver a speech in the Midlands on Monday aimed at boosting economic growth by changing how government values investment in infrastructure; JLR is based in Coventry, West Midlands. Reynolds said he had also spoken with West Midlands mayor Richard Parker about supporting the business and its staff.

In July JLR said fewer than 300 people would leave the firm under earlier cost savings plans. The company employs about 30,000 people in the UK and roughly 10,000 overseas and described the new measures as intended to simplify the business, improve efficiency and build greater resilience.