U.S.-based Ford Motor Company says it is adding 1,200 jobs at a plant in Missouri to build its newly re-designed van.
Ford’s President for The Americas, Joe Hinrichs, says expanding the plant and hiring new people was made possible by making a deal with the United Auto Workers union to hire new employees at lower wages.
In an interview with VOA, Hinrichs said the new employees are part of a total of 14,000 the company has hired in the United States as an improving economy and lower costs have boosted sales.
That is 2,000 more hires than the company promised in a deal with the union a few years ago.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Commerce Department reports demand for expensive manufactured goods dropped by a steep 18 percent in August from the prior month, as demand for commercial aircraft fell.
But outside the volatile transportation category, new orders gained a bit less than one percent.
A separate report showed the number of newly-laid off Americans applying for unemployment assistance rose slightly. However, experts say the nationwide total is still low enough to indicate an improving job market.
