Automaker Stellantis has put white-collar hiring on ice, months after going on a hiring spree.
The parent company of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram confirmed to the Detroit Free Press that white-collar onboarding is paused at the automaker's North American headquarters in Auburn Hills. Employees at the Chrysler Technology Center perform jobs such as engineering, research, testing, design and marketing.
The move, which is intended to save the company money, comes a few months after Stellantis went on an ambitious hiring spree, bringing on at least 2,000 new engineers in the spring, according to previous news releases from the company. At the end of 2025, too, Stellantis was steadily building its ranks of white-collar employees.
predicts Chinese cars could capture 11% of U.S. market
Stellantis is in the middle of a lofty turnaround business plan dubbed "FaSTLAne 2030," which includes cost saving measures and a new structure of cash allocation, prioritizing the Jeep and Ram brands in North America.
Spokesperson Jodi Tinson said in an emailed statement the hiring freeze follows a first half of the year "marked by unprecedented hiring to support both the Value Creation Program and the FaSTLAne 2030 strategic plan."
Following the hiring spree, Tinson said, the automaker is "entering the next phase of our talent strategy, focused on integrating new employees, accelerating internal career opportunities and continuing to build the capabilities of our workforce."
It is unclear how long the freeze will be in place.
Stellantis is facing pressure to return to year-over-year profitability after suffering a massive, $26 billion loss at the end of 2026. Much of that loss was due to write-offs incurred after the federal government rolled back programs used to incentivize electric vehicle production. The strategic plan, unveiled in May, aims to make the company more profitable.
Liam Rappleye covers Stellantis and the UAW for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him: LRappleye@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Stellantis halts white-collar hiring after huge engineer haul
