Ford Motor said today it was adding 1,550 jobs in response to growing consumer demand for its new aluminum-bodied F-150 pickup truck.
Ford said the additional jobs will support stepped-up production of the 2015 Ford F-150, which went on sale in December. The F-150 is the best-selling truck in the United States and the all-new lighter version was named North American truck of the year at last month’s Detroit auto show.
“These jobs are further proof that customers recognize the all-new F-150 as the toughest, smartest, most capable F-150 ever. We sell every truck we can build, and we plan to build more,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president, The Americas, in a statement.
Ford reported yesterday that US sales rose 15 per cent in January from a year ago, and pointed to robust demand for the lighter F-150, which averaged 12 days on dealer lots, its fastest-selling vehicle.
Ford’s 1,550 new jobs, set for the first quarter, will be divided among three Michigan plants and a plant in Kansas City, Missouri.
Ford said that the additional jobs bring it to a threshold in its contract with the United Auto Workers union that results in an hourly wage increase for up to 500 workers, to USD 28.50 from their entry-level wage of USD 19.28, during the January-March period.
The second-largest US automaker noted it had added more than 5,000 hourly jobs across its US manufacturing facilities in 2014.
Ford shares were up 1.2 per cent at USD 15.84 in midday trade on the New York Stock Exchange.