New Jaguar Land Rover jobs offers boost to West Midlands auto firms
THE creation of 1,000 new jobs at Jaguar Land Rover’s Halewood plant on Merseyside is a major boost to component suppliers in the West Midlands, manufacturing experts have said.
JLR is creating the jobs to meet increasing demand for its hugely popular Range Rover Evoque plus the Land Rover Freelander 2.
The announcement, which will see the factory move to three shifts and 24-hour operation, confirms the pledge made by JLR chief executive Ralf Speth at this month’s Geneva Motor Show when he said the firm needed to create extra capacity in order to meet the global demand for its vehicles.
The new positions, which will also support production of the Land Rover Freelander 2, take the size of the workforce at Halewood to almost 4,500 – treble the number employed there just three years ago.
Des Thurlby, JLR HR Director, said: “These 1,000 new jobs are further evidence of JLR’s clear ambition for continued growth. We are moving Halewood to three shifts and 24-hour operation to meet increased global demand for our products.”
“JLR’s supply chain is also set to benefit, with thousands more jobs expected to be created. Our commitment to expand the Halewood workforce and increase production is great news for JLR, for Merseyside and for the wider UK economy.”
The new jobs recruited at Halewood will include production operators, supervisors and engineers. All new employees joining the production line will receive training towards an Intermediate (Level 2) Apprenticeship.
Simon Griffiths, Area Director North and West for the Manufacturing Advisory Service, said the move would help to sustain the region’s JLR supply chain.
“Further expansion of JLR’s plant on Merseyside will be welcome news to the West Midlands’ supply chain as it underlines strong demand for the Range Rover Evoque and the Freelander 2,” he said.
“The usual equation is that for every direct job created by investment another 1.5 to 2 positions follow in the supply chain, meaning a potential boost of over 2,000.
“West Midlands suppliers produce a significant number of components for these vehicles so there will be a lot of spin-off benefits in the region.”
He said MAS would be working with supply companies across the UK, not just those in the West Midlands, to ensure they were in the best position to take advantage of JLR’s ongoing expansion.
The announcement has also been welcomed by the CBI. Neil Bentley, the organisation’s Deputy Director-General, said: “The news is a shot in the arm for UK manufacturing and the automotive industry in particular.
“This is further evidence of re-balancing across the economy, with the latest UK trade figures showing record levels of exports going to countries outside the EU, such as the US and China.
“Jaguar Land Rover continues to be a great British success story, which provides a real boost to its supply chain and the wider economy.”
