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Continental job offensive

May 7, 2012

German car parts and tires maker, Continental, has announced it will create 5,000 new jobs in China this year. The company is banking on hopes that it can repeat last year's sales boost in China.

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Car tires from Continental, Hanover
Image: picture-alliance/ dpa

Automotive giant Continental is planning to create some 5,000 new jobs in China by the end of the year, the company announced in Shanghai on Monday. The hiring offensive would take the firm's total workforce in that country to 20,000.

The Hanover-based company has been active in China since 2004, producing tires for vehicles and bicycles as well as a wide range of other car parts. Back in 2009, Continental had 9,000 employees in China and has seen its workforce there rising steadily ever since.

Worldwide, the firm employs 167,000 people in 46 nations. However, in recent years, growth in China has eclipsed its activities in other regions of the world.

Expansion course

At present, the company runs 18 production facilities and 10 research and development centers in China. Continental's Labor Director Elke Strathman said in a statement on Monday that the firm was looking for more Chinese engineers and mechanics. She said the company's cooperation with local universities was gaining in importance for recruitment activities.

Having posted revenues to the tune of 30 billion euros ($39.03 billion) last year, Continental was once again among the world's leading suppliers of automotive parts.

"First-quarter sales this year saw double-digit growth to 8.3 billion euros and were again much stronger than the overall automotive and tire market," Chief Executive Elmar Degenhart said in a statement. Continental aims to boost sales by more than 5 percent to over 32 billion euros in the course of 2012.

hg/ai/gb (dpa, Reuters, AFP)