Toyota job losses 25pc higher than announced

Financial accounts filed in the US by the global Toyota company show its Australian subsidiary cut 428 workers in the year to March - 78 more than it publicly announced.

Toyota cut 350 workers from its only Australian manufacturing plant in April last year, later saying it had no more plans to reduce staff numbers. But the latest filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission by Toyota Australia's parent company show the workforce here shrank from 4256 to 3828 in the year to March.

The accounts also show how far behind their international rivals Australia's car makers are falling. While Toyota's Australian workforce has shrunk, the world's largest car maker has hired more than 1400 new workers at its businesses in Canada, the US and Thailand.

In April this year, one month after the reporting period closed, the company announced it would hire another 570 workers in a $500 million expansion of its plant at Kentucky. Toyota Australia spokeswoman Beck Angel said the reduction in staff numbers had come about as part of a five-year restructuring plan and natural attrition.

She also said the company had hired about 170 contract workers to staff Toyota's new $330 million engine plant at Altona. The plant officially opened in December - meaning some of those hires would be in the latest accounts - and will produce 108,000 engines for the locally built Camry sedans as well as shipping to plants in Thailand and Malaysia.

The details about Toyota emerge as Holden, which will soon be its only local rival, pushes the Federal Government to double its taxpayer funding. Holden is rumoured to have asked the Government for an extra $265 million in funding, on top of the $275 million pledged last year.

Yesterday, the car maker said it was doing "everything in its power" to secure its future in Australia but declined to say how much it was asking the Government for. Toyota is also lobbying state and federal governments for additional funding. It has received more than $100 million in taxpayer support over the past two years.

Ms Angel said the company was in regular talks with the Government and Opposition but it would not reveal the details of such discussions. Australian car makers are struggling to stay afloat given the high Australian dollar, high cost of doing business here, small production facilities and growing competition from overseas.

Ford will close its Australian manufacturing facilities in Victoria by late 2016, with the loss of 1200 jobs.