Land Rover to create 1,000 jobs at Halewood

The Range Rover Evoque has proven popular

Jaguar Land Rover has announced it is creating 1,000 new jobs at its Halewood factory on Merseyside.

The carmaker said it needed more workers in order to meet strong demand for its Range Rover Evoque and its Freelander 2.

"We are moving Halewood to three shifts and 24-hour operation to meet increased global demand," said JLR's human resources director, Des Thurlby.

The new jobs take the workforce at Halewood to almost 4,500.

That is a trebling of the number working there three years ago.

Automotive 'strength'

Mr Thurlby added that in addition, "JLR's supply chain is also set to benefit, with thousands more jobs expected to be created".

Business Secretary Vince Cable described the announcement as "excellent news" and said he saw it as "further evidence of the strength of the UK automotive sector".

The new jobs will include production operators, supervisors and engineers.

Roger Maddison, national officer at the Unite union, said: "The creation of new jobs at Halewood is more good news for Britain's car industry and the local economy.

"Again, Britain's car industry is bucking the trend of manufacturing decline. It is proof that with the right investment and support, UK manufacturing can be a success story."

Neil Bentley, deputy director-general of the CBI business body said the news helped firm up the British economy's position in a global economy.

"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," he said.

Last week, Land Rover unveiledRange Rover shows convertible 4x4at the Geneva motor show.

"We believe that the Evoque lends itself beautifully to the idea of a convertible," said Land Rover design director Gerry McGovern, though the company has not yet decided whether the soft-top will go into production.