JCB creates another 500 jobs

The Backhoe Loader production line at JCB’s World HQ in Staffordshire, UK.

JCB is to recruit another 500 employees and offer permanent contracts to 300 of its existing agency staff, in order to cope with the ongoing surge in market demand for its construction equipment. 

While the pandemic caused demand to drop sharply last year, 2021 has seen JCB’s sales rebound just as sharply.

The “record demand for JCB’s construction and agricultural products” means the company has now “sold out” of most of its newer machines for the year.

Graeme Macdonald, CEO at JCB, said, “The recovery continues to gather momentum and we have tens of thousands of new machine orders sitting on our books stretching well into next year. We have never seen anything like this in the 75-year history of JCB.”

Despite predicting a “continued solid recovery, with strong demand from mainland Europe and North America” in January, it seems the number of orders received by the company is still higher than it expected.

With orders steadily outstripping supply, 2021 has seen the manufacturer increase its pay rates for shop floor workers to £11.35 (approximately €13.21) an hour and launch recruitment drives in January and March to fill 850 new positions. 

Successful candidates for this latest batch of shop floor roles will be offered posts across JCB’s 11 manufacturing plants in the English counties of Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Wrexham.

Macdonald, said, “As well as earning a competitive salary with the opportunity for overtime and enhanced shift allowances, there is great potential for new recruits to progress to permanent roles with JCB.”

The addition of the 500 new roles means that this year alone the company has created 1350 new agency positions. Alongside this JCB has also offered around 1,000 permanent contracts to its existing agency staff.