Pickup maker hires workers to produce minivans

Shanghai, March 17 (Gasgoo.com) Chinese pickup truck maker Gonow Group Co said Tuesday that the company plans to hire 2,000 new workers to meet minivan production plans for this year, according to Beijing Times.

Group president Miao Xuezhong told the newspaper that its new Xiaoshan minivan production base, which is located in the city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, will need more than 1,000 employees when its full operation start in August. Annual capacity at the plant is expected to hit 150,000 units.

Miao said the company had started the recruitment program before the due date to help ease the pressure on job markets, when many employers are freezing budgets for new recruitments and laying off workers already on the payroll to leave positions vacant.

He said the group has already recruited 720 workers so far this year, which include 260 college graduates, 390 production line workers and 63 technicians and management members.

Gonow Group is a manufacturer of pickups, SUVs, minivans and minibuses. It was set up in September 2003 and has three subsidiary companies and seven branches.