The Dutch digital navigation firm TomTom announced on Wednesday, 1 June, that it is cutting fifty-one jobs in its Ghent branch. This move is part of a wider cutback of 500 jobs from their Maps Unit as they move towards automated mapmaking.
As reported by Belga News Agency, the intention to cut 51 out of 260 jobs in Ghent was announced at a special works council meeting, Els De Coster, secretary of the liberal trade union ACLVB, said.
Related News
- TomTom launches autonomous car tests
- TomTom says Brussels is the eighth most congested European city
“Higher levels of automation and the integration of a variety of digital sources will result in fresher and richer maps, with wider coverage,” Harold Goddijn, CEO of TomTom, said in a TomTom press release.
The move to automation comes as the company’s work has been affected by pandemic-related supply chain shortages that have caused automakers that TomTom often works with, like Renault and Volkswagen, to slash production.
Overall, 10% of TomTom jobs will be cut. However, almost 20% of TomTom jobs in Ghent will be affected by the cuts.
