Digger maker JCB is recruiting 100 new welders at its Staffordshire factories as demand for its products continues to soar.
A recruitment drive has got underway for the permanent jobs at JCB’s world headquarters in Rocester and its plants in Cheadle and Uttoxeter.
The news comes during a record year for JCB as demand for its machines reaches "historic highs" with most products now sold out until next year.
The new jobs are in addition to the 1,350 new shop floor roles which have been created by the company since the start of the year, and the 1,000 permanent JCB contracts which were handed to agency employees in 2021.
JCB Chief Operating Officer Mark Turner said: “Over the past five years the number of welders in the UK has shrunk, which presents businesses with a big challenge at times of high demand.
"JCB has been working very hard over the past few years to tackle this shortage and attract new entrants to this highly-skilled job with its apprenticeship and training programmes, which have been very successful.
"We are delighted to be building on that success with the creation of 100 permanent new welders’ jobs.
"We offer some of the best conditions and pay rates in the region and with opportunities for night-shift work and overtime, this is great news for welders in the area looking to join a successful global company.”
In addition to the new welding jobs, JCB will also welcome an additional 15 new recruits on to its fabrication and welding apprenticeship in September.
In the past three years, almost 70 welding apprentices have passed their courses – and all gained permanent JCB jobs.