Back in 2016, Ratan Tata saved thousands in the UK from unemployment by committing to invest more than $1 billion for a decade in the Port Talbot steel plant. Although Tata Group slashed 1000 jobs at the unit in 2019, its other acquisition in the UK, Jaguar Land Rover continued to thrive. Today the car brand it bought from Ford, is supporting workers laid off from tech firms including Meta and Twitter, by offering them jobs through a dedicated portal.
Stepping up in a crisis
The carmaker which is focusing on the EV market, has rolled out 800 vacancies for tech professionals, and has prioritised digital talent fired by big tech firms such as Meta and Amazon. Tata Group’s move comes after 11,000 workers lost jobs at Meta and 10,000 had to leave Amazon, while 50 per cent of Twitter’s staff was sacked by Elon Musk, and many others resigned. Heartbreaking stories are emerging including those of Indians abroad who have to find new jobs to keep their visas, and women who on maternity leave left without work.
Jaguar Land Rover has created a portal focusing on displaced big tech employees, and seeks talent skilled in AI, cloud software, data science and machine learning among other areas of work. The roles are being offered in India, China, Ireland, Hungary, the UK and the US.
Tata’s history of employee welfare
During uncertain times, which aren’t anything short of a crisis, the move by a Tata Group owned firm reflects the conglomerate’s history of employee welfare. Recently the firm also rescued ailing Indian carrier Air India, as thousands were at risk of losing jobs if the state-run airline were to be shut down. Tata is also known for setting up a personnel department back in 1947, before most corporates in India, and for a smart separation scheme that provided salaries and perks to workers who left till their retirement age.
