Hundreds of thousands of jobs in the German automotive sector are under threat due to the transition to electromobility, according to a government-commissioned report released on Monday.
If the industry in Germany fails to become more competitive in the next few years and imports of battery cells and electric vehicles continue to rise, there could be a "considerable decline in employment" by 2030, said Future of Mobility, a platform featuring expert discussion of transport issues.
Up to 410,000 jobs could be in danger in the worst-case scenario, the report's authors wrote.
Jobs are threatened by a combination of factors, including the transition to electromobility by 2030 due to European and domestic climate-protection regulations. Increased efficiency associated with growing automation of production is a further threat, said the head of the working group, Joerg Hofmann, who leads the trade union IG Metall.
The latest study of electromobility and production shows a greater reduction in the number of workers needed compared to previous studies. This is partly because productivity is set to rise even further thanks to greater automation in the future. It is easier to automate the production of e-cars than that of petrol-powered vehicles, the authors wrote.
Despite increasing registrations, Germany does not yet have a mass market for electric vehicles. However, e-mobility plays a key role in Berlin's climate-protection programme.
The government plans to achieve its 2030 climate goals mainly through transport changes and one of its targets is to have up to 10 million e-cars on German roads.
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