An electric motor has a stator defining multiple stator poles with associated electrical windings, and a rotor having multiple rotor poles. The rotor has flux barriers between adjacent rotor poles, the flux barriers each having a material with an electrical conductivity higher than the rotor pole material. The flux barriers are electrically isolated from one another external to the ferromagnetic material. Eddy currents are induced in the flux barrier to cause destructive interference of an impending magnetic field, such that the flux barrier effectively acts to inhibit magnetic flux during motor operation, which in some cases will result in a repulsive force that will act to increase an induced motive force on the rotor poles.