24-hour shifts bring 1,000 Land Rover jobs

BRITAIN’S car industry has continued to defy the gloom afflicting much of Europe as Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) introduced an extra shift at its Merseyside plant to cope with demand.

The move to 24-hour production has created 1,000 jobs at the Halewood factory, which produces the Evoque and Freelander models.

The workforce at the site now stands at 4,500 – three times the number working there three years ago.

Human resources director Des Thurlby said: “JLR’s supply chain is also set to benefit, with thousands more jobs expected to be created. Our commitment to expand the Halewood workforce and increase production is great news for JLR, for Merseyside and for the wider UK economy.”

The carmaker, owned by Indian company Tata Motors, is on course for record profits of about

£1.5 billion this year, boosted by strong sales in emerging markets such as China.

JLR’s fortunes contrast sharply with those of many rivals in mainland Europe, where sales are at their lowest level in almost 20 years.

Ford last month predicted it will lose more than $1bn (£637.6 million) in Europe this year, while Peugeot – which expects its European market to contract by 8 per cent this year – is cutting 8,000 jobs and closing a plant near Paris.

Renault recently warned that European car sales may not return to pre-crisis levels until 2017.