Volvo Cars is looking for 350 extra workers to build its electric vehicle EX30 to meet the high demand in Europe, the car manufacturer announced on Tuesday.
By ramping up production at its Ghent plant, the Swedish-Chinese carmaker can bypass European import tariffs and meet the high demand in the continent. There are already 6,400 staff working at Volvo Car Ghent but there will be a robust recruitment campaign by recruiter Randstad in the coming years.
The news comes after a year of relatively low production capacity for the Ghent plant. While one of Volvo's core production sites, the plant experienced a 19% drop in production volume last year, with a total of 186,313 cars produced compared to 230,527 in 2023.
Sales of electric vehicles experienced a dip and the start-up of the new production line took a huge amount of preparation. There have also been layoffs at the carmaker, but production could increase sharply again in the coming years.
The Volvo EX30 is currently the third best-selling electric car in Europe. The expansion of production capacity comes not only to meet European demand but also for export to other markets worldwide.
Recruitment for the new jobs started this week with a first group of 25 new employees. In total, Volvo Car Ghent and Randstad are looking for about 350 operators. Both beginners and experienced candidates are being sought.
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo inspects paintwork during a visit to the Volvo Car Academy and the Volvo Car Gent production site, in Gent, Tuesday 29 August 2023. Credit: Belga
The recruitment wave contrasts with earlier reports from East Flanders, where the labour market has taken a hit in recent months. In Oudenaarde, more than 400 workers lost their jobs following the bankruptcy of BelGaN, Belgium's last chip manufacturer. Meanwhile in Aalst, 270 factory workers lost their jobs at Tupperware.
Randstad is therefore organising a job day in Aalst to find suitable workers, as well as in Sint-Niklaas, Deinze, Zele and Waregem.
The carmaker has the support from the Flemish government. "The construction of this climate-friendly car model not only creates hundreds of new jobs, but is also of strategic importance for the development of the Flemish economy in terms of electrification of vehicles and innovative production processes," said Flemish minister-president Matthias Diependaele (N-VA).
Volvo Car Ghent is one of Flanders' leading industrial employers and the last car manufacturer in the country. Audi Brussels' production plant in Forest is set to close in February.
