U.S. automotive giant Ford (F 1.69%) reported in a press statement Friday that it intends to hire 2,200 salaried employees in the U.S. in 2013, the company's largest hiring increase in more than 10 years.
Ford, which added 8,100 salaried and hourly positions in the U.S. last year, is intending to boost its employment as demand picks up. Across the U.S., car and truck sales increased 13% to the highest sales in five years. Ford's hiring streak also helps it fulfill its commitment to add 12,000 new American jobs by 2015, part of a deal it negotiated with the United Auto Workers union back in 2011.
Ford president of The Americas, Joe Hinrichs, was quoted in the press release as saying: "As we expand our product lineup of fuel-efficient vehicles, we need more people in critical areas -- such as in a range of engineering activities, vehicle production, computer software and other IT functions -- to ensure we deliver the vehicles people want and value."
The move comes after Ford yesterday announced a doubling of its quarterly dividend and on the heels of a commitment last month to create more than 2,300 hourly jobs as part of a large investment in Michigan.