A large chunk of 600 new jobs created by Jaguar Land Rover will be in its personnel function, according to the company’s HR director.
The British car manufacturer has bucked the current global downturn and launched a recruitment drive for engineers and other professional workers, as well as scores of graduates.
Des Thurlby, HR director for Jaguar Land Rover, said he had to ensure the recruitment team grew equally to cope with the firm’s expansion. “This [campaign] is a huge acceleration,” he told Personnel Today. “We expect to fill the HR jobs within the next six months, and the rest by this time next year.
“One of the main areas we’re upgrading is recruitment,” he added. “Since the business itself is growing, we’ll need more help with recruitment and to support the whole range of HR functions from compensation and benefits, education and training, to HR operational activities.”
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The company is investing £700m in sustainable technologies to improve the environmental performance of its vehicles. The remaining jobs will be in product development to improve the cars’ fuel efficiency and green credentials. Thurlby said the company would be targeting different sectors and launching a new recruitment website to attract top quality candidates.
The announcement comes weeks after Jaguar Land Rover was sold by Ford to Indian car giant Tata for £1.1bn.
