GM has said it plans to hire 600 workers for three Brazilian plants in the state of Sao Paulo to boost output as car demand continues to grow.
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GM’s Brazilian operation said in a statement that it plans to hire 250 workers each for its Sao Caetano do Sul and Sao Jose dos Campos units and a further 100 for its Mogi das Cruzes factory, where production has doubled in the past few months.
GM will give priority to former employees during the recruitment and hiring process, the statement said. The company cut about 1,600 temporary workers in February to cope with the possible impact of the global economic downturn.
Vehicle sales and production picked up sharply in Brazil in October according to data released this week by auto trade body Anfavea.
Production was put at 316,000 units up 15.7% from October from September and also up 6.3 percent when compared to October 2008, Anfavea said.
Analysts say car demand in Brazil this year is being helped by tax breaks and continuing low interest rates, as well as plenty of new model activity.
“The very expressive growth of the Brazilian auto market is giving us additional breath to boost activity in some of our units,” said GM’s vice president in Brazil, Jose Carlos Pinheiro Neto, in the statement.
“Our expectation is to hit a record sales number in 2009,” he said.
GM CEO Fritz Henderson is planning to visit Brazil later this month and is expected to announce new investment plans.
