General Motors’ Nov. 26 announcement of more than 14,000 layoffs is only the first in what will be a continuing string of disruptions in the auto and related transportation industries. Self-driving cars have received most of the attention, with their likely elimination of transportation jobs, but large-scale restructuring is likely in the entire auto industry as consumers move to electric vehicles.
A large part of the auto industry’s recent restructuring has been due to the dramatic shift from cars to sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks, and this helps explain some of the plant closings outlined in the General Motors announcement.