Of the new jobs to be created 4,000 will be in Germany thanks to soaring orders, Daimler said on Feb. 23. The company, which owns the Mercedes-Benz and Smart brands and is the world leader in heavy trucks, will also expand its operations abroad.
"China, India and other heavily populated countries are discovering the automobile," said Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche. "We have to be there to respond to the demand. But we also need German sites because many motors and parts come from here."
All sectors and all German facilities would be beefed up, the report said.
Daimler is looking to recruit 500 new college graduates, 400 engineers and computer specialists and some 2,000 apprentices.
Like its German rivals BMW, and Volkswagen which owns Audi, Daimler has been a major beneficiary of the rebound in global demand for cars, in particular in the Chinese market.
In January, Mercedes-Benz sold 87% more autos in China than during the same month a year earlier.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2011
