Tesla says Germany’s Gigafactory is understaffed and in ‘total chaos’

• Wired reports that Tesla is having trouble hiring and staffing its Gigafactory in Germany.
• The Berlin plant has fallen short of production targets and is in “complete chaos,” he said.
• “A lot of people are out sick because they don’t have the motivation,” one employee told Wired.

Elon Musk’s Tesla is struggling to find workers at its new German factory, making it difficult to meet ambitious production targets, Wired reports.

One employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the factory was understaffed and was in “total chaos.”

“There are people I haven’t seen working three weeks out of six months. A lot of them are sick because they don’t have the motivation.”

“Some people are out sick longer than they are working.”

The factory in Grünheide, Brandenburg, is Tesla’s first European factory. According to Welt, when it officially opened in March, Musk said he expected the factory to make 500,000 units this year.

However, Wired reports that the production target of 5,000 units per week is far from being met. The company was aiming to hire 12,000 people, but only managed to secure 7,000.

Including large recruiters, Tesla has at least 400 open positions in Berlin.

A trade union representative told Wired that Tesla’s hiring, retention and retention has been hampered by its reputation as an “unattractive employer” in Germany’s union-strong auto industry. ing.

In June, Germany’s largest trade union, IG Metall, told Bloomberg that Tesla employees earn 20% less than their competitors.

To fill the shortage, Tesla is also hiring in neighboring Poland. Welt also advertises in Polish. However, Wired and Tabletowo report that the company requires its employees to speak German, making hiring difficult.

Insider reached out to Tesla for comment, but did not receive a response.