JCB to recruit 400 staff amid 'surge in production'

JCB is also awarding up to 300 agency employees with permanent contracts

JCB is to recruit more than 400 extra agency staff as the firm said it was gearing up "for a surge in production".

The market for construction equipment has "rebounded sharply", the Staffordshire company said, after production was brought to a halt by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Up to 300 permanent contracts are being given to existing agency staff in addition to the new recruitment.

JCB said the year had "started strongly".

The 400 agency jobs are in a variety of shop-floor roles including assembly, welding and fork lift truck drivers.

The news follows heavy redundancies last year, amid the pandemic.

In May, JCB said up to 950 staff jobs were at risk, but it has since refused to confirm how many posts were made redundant, except to say it was fewer than expected.

Chief Operating Officer Mark Turner said in March orders "disappeared overnight" when the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, adding "regrettably many staff positions were impacted".

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"It took more than six months for the business to recover to production levels we last saw in March 2020," he said.

"This year has started strongly and our forecasts predict a continued solid recovery, with strong demand from mainland Europe and North America.

"After a tumultuous 12 months, this really is good news."