About 20 people in Singapore affected by Dyson decision
Janice Heng
Singapore
ABOUT 20 employees in Singapore have been affected by Dyson's closure of its automotive division, as the British technology company ditches plans to build electric cars here. "We are hoping to find roles for as many people as possible," a Dyson spokesperson said in response to queries from The Business Times.
"We are in a consultation process at the moment and have sufficient vacancies that we can absorb most of the people affected."
Dyson's commitment to Singapore is "as strong as ever" with "ambitious expansion plans in (its) research, operations and commercial teams", said the spokesperson. "The Singapore government understands the reasons behind this decision and we look forward to continuing to deepen our relationship and our expansion there."
Founder and chairman James Dyson had on Thursday announced to staff that the company was closing its automotive division due to a lack of commercial feasibility. The firm had planned to manufacture electric cars in Singapore. In May, it was reported that Dyson had started to recruit talent for its Singapore facility, with more than 100 job listings on LinkedIn.
Singapore Economic Development Board assistant managing director Tan Kong Hwee had said on Thursday that disruption to the firm's operations and workforce here will be "minimal" as the decision not to pursue the electric vehicle business was taken at an early stage.
Dyson's global automotive team has 523 people. The firm said it is has sufficient vacancies to absorb most of the staff into its home appliances business.
