Ford Boosts its 2013 Hiring Goal by 800 Jobs

Top 15 Companies Currently Hiring for IT Jobs

Like many companies who are adding staff this year, Ford plans to hire 800 more salaried employees–mostly engineers and IT specialists–than the 2,300 previously announced, reports the Detroit Free Press.

The company has filled about 1,500 of the now 3,000 salaried positions it plans to fill. Ford has also hired about 75 percent of the 12,000 hourly workers it plans to add by 2015.

The vast majority of these new jobs will be in Michigan, and with the city of Detroit’s recent bankruptcy, selling job candidates on moving to the area will be harder than ever.

Ford not only competes with other automakers for tech talent, but it also now adds makers of consumer electronics to its competition list. And–surprise –the company has found it must offer salaries competitive to those in Silicon Valley, according to NBC News.

With the criticism that Ford’s MyFord Touch infotainment system has taken from the likes of Consumer Reports, the company is focused on improving its in-car systems.

“What we’re finding is some of these people who have good consumer electronics experience want to broaden that and want to bring that capability into the vehicle,” Graydon Reitz, head of Ford’s global electrical and electronics system engineering operations, said.

The automobile maker is recruiting heavily on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and even Pinterest.

Ford eliminated 13,000 U.S. white-collar jobs between 2006 and 2009, but hired 1,850 new salaried employees last year, bringing its workforce to around 28,000 professionals. The company says, however, that the new skills it needs might not allow it to rehire those laid off without further training.