Christmas is going to end a little later this time around for the Nissan workers in the US. The reason? Well, the slump in the auto industry is a well-known phenomenon, and Nissan has been hit just as much as other automakers around the globe. So, in order to save money, Nissan is basically forcing its workers to take time off work without pay and spend the 2nd and 3rd of January 2020 at home. Moreover, Nissan itself has confirmed that the news is valid and its U.S. operation will indeed remain closed on January 2 and 3, 2020.

"To optimize business performance and competitiveness, Nissan North America will implement two office closure days in the U.S. on January 2 and January 3, 2020. Nissan dealers will operate as normal,” said a Nissan spokesperson. The forced and unpaid holidays include each of the hourly and salary workers who work at the manufacturing facilities and the corporate offices. Around 14,500 people are to be affected by the closure.

Nissan has cited that the two-day off will help it in optimizing business performance and competitiveness. Since the Japanese automaker will save quite a few million dollars due to the holidays, the financial crisis happening inside the automotive industry has also been reflected. Nissan's sales for November declined by 15% as compared to the same month in 2018, which further indicates that the automaker is keen on saving every possible cent.

"Automakers are under increasing cost pressure as moving forward on EVs and autonomous vehicles is cost-intensive, while revenue and profits from those projects are still years away. Nissan is also faced with struggling U.S. sales, which impacts today’s revenue. The move may be a bit unorthodox, but may have the opportunity for a quick, short-term impact with less pain for employees than some other solutions may require,” said IHS Principal Automotive Analyst Stephanie Brinley while responding to a leading auto news house.

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