11 December 2009

Toyota adds 800 new Canadian jobs in Ontario

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc, the largest auto manufacturer, has announced it will hire around 800 workers for a second shift at its new assembly operation in Woodstock.

The need for second shift workers came as Toyota prepared to start production of the RAV4 sport utility vehicle next March, and will boost the number of Canadian jobs by 2,000 places and double annual production capacity to 150,000 vehicles at the plant.

The RAV4 production is also expected to lift outside component production and create jobs and work in Canada for the regional parts companies that supply the plant.

Toyota had planned two shifts when it first opened the Woodstock plant late last year, but the serious downturn in the North American auto market because of a deep recession forced them to rethink their plans for one of the shifts.

However, RAV4 sales in North America have climbed about 4 per cent this year despite industry turmoil, giving optimism.

The announcement has been called by the company president Ray Tanguar as a vot of confidence in the recovery of the Canadian market.

Toyota will start hiring within the next few weeks and workers will undergo a training and preparation schedule before production starts in late March.

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