JCB has announced that around 200 agency employees are to be handed permanent contracts this summer in response to a continued rise in demand for construction and agricultural machinery.
The manufacturer explained it has already offered around 1,300 permanent contracts to agency employees during 2021 and 2022 and increased shop floor starting pay by 8.5% to £11.35 an hour.
JCB chief operating officer Mark Turner welcomed the news of the 200 permanent contracts. He joined JCB more than 30 years ago as an agency employee and rose through the ranks after running JCB manufacturing businesses in the UK and overseas, including India.
He said, “Demand for JCB’s construction and agricultural products remains very strong and that means we have been able to offer 1,300 agency colleagues permanent JCB contracts since last year. I am thrilled to be able to build on this position by offering permanent contracts to an additional 200 agency employees once we return from the summer break.
“We have great confidence in the future and there are immense opportunities to progress at JCB by joining us as an agency employee.”
In 2022, JCB has increased its workforce by almost 300 people at its 11 UK plants. The firm said demand for JCB machines has reached ‘historic’ highs this year with many products already sold out for the remainder of the year.
