Nissan Sunderland confirms it is looking to shed around 250 employees to improve efficiency

The voluntary leaver scheme has been offered to certain roles within the company to improve the efficiency of its workforce.

A spokesperson confirmed the move is part of the company’s global streamlining announced earlier this year to reduce its international workforce by around 19,000 employees.

A Nissan spokesperson said: “Our Sunderland plant remains at the forefront of our electrification strategy, with the new LEAF coming later this year, a new EV Juke arriving next year and our new e-POWER system coming to Qashqai soon.

“In order to support future competitiveness, this week we are beginning discussions with some of our team in Sunderland about the opportunity to voluntarily leave Nissan, with support from the company.

“This will support the plant’s efficiency as we aim to become a leaner, more resilient, business.”

A spokesperson for the company said the scheme being offered provides an opportunity for employees to voluntarily leave the company to retrain for a new career.

They also stressed the scheme is voluntary and will not impact on manufacturing roles on the factory floor and is being offered to some office staff and people in more senior positions such as team leaders and supervisors.

In May (2025) Nissan announced it would be reducing its number of global plants from 17 to 10 by 2027.

Following the announcement, a Nissan Sunderland spokesperson confirmed they were “in a detailed study” with the company.

Nissan Sunderland is currently the biggest employer in the city, employing around 6,000 people.