Reuters reporter Alexandria Sage recently connected the dots between Tesla ($TSLA) job listings and Glassdoor data to show how cost-cutting and layoffs are hurting employee morale. As she pointed out, job openings at Tesla are down to just 1,100 as of June 5.
What may also be the case for declining morale? Not only are the number of job openings down in the U.S., but the company is accelerating hiring China.
This could explain why morale is reportedly slumping among Tesla employees who rate the employer on Glassdoor, a Western-focused employer-reviewer website. If job cuts and cost cutting measures are all happening in America while Tesla expands to China, there would be, in theory, a bigger proportion of unhappy former and current workers on a United States-based website.
To be fair, a job listings at Tesla could represent multiple openings. However, an increase in the number of listings may indicate that the number of openings are open across the board. And if listings for specific areas have a different number of openings — i.e. a technician job opening in California is equal to five openings in China — then that represents a total inconsistency with hiring practices.
Customer Support on the Rise in China
Customer Support and Sales are the most in-demand positions for Tesla in China, according to trends spotted via the company's job-listings website. Compared to just 15 such job openings in the United States, there are 80 listings in China for this category.
Meanwhile in the United States, Tesla is looking for more hires in Service & Energy Installation.
Herein lies the shift in where Tesla is in two separate markets. This company is already shipping — and has shipped — vehicles in America, so it is now looking for more people to do repairs should they need an oil change (we're kidding, of course). Meanwhile in China, Tesla is looking to get customers through the door to buy its cars, especially as it builds up a Gigafactory in the country.
Overall, Tesla saw its job openings drop, and while it is more pronounced in the United States, it appears it may be shifting focus to a new market.
