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Hiring rush: Tesla drops hundreds of job postings in Austin area

Tesla has said that its Gigafactory will eventually employ up to 5,000 people.

AUSTIN, Texas — Tesla is holding true to its promise to bring hundreds of jobs to the Austin area.

As of Tuesday, the electric car maker has posted over 280 jobs in the area as it continues work on its new Gigafactory in Travis County.

Categories include positions in fields such as manufacturing, construction and facilities, design, supply chain, engineering and IT, service and energy installation, finance, sales and customer support, and HR.

A visit to the 2,100-acre site in eastern Travis County on Tuesday was abuzz with activity as dozens of construction vehicles, cranes and crew members rushed around to construct the $1.1 billion facility.

Eventually filling Tesla's Gigafactory off State Highway 130 and Harold Green Road with hundreds of jobs is what Rohan Patel has previously said the automaker will do.

"You're talking about production associates, technicians," Patel said in November 2020.    

Patel serves as the director of public policy and business development for Tesla.

"We need a diversity of talent in all sectors of [the] manufacturing realm," Patel also said.

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Patel has said even before choosing the Austin area, Tesla was already tapping Central Texas for its academic talent.

"We're already recruiting from the likes of Texas A&M and the likes of the UT Austins of the world," he said.

The Gigafactory is expected to build the electric vehicle maker's upcoming Cybertruck and the Model Y SUV, as well as other Tesla products. Once in full swing, Tesla had said it hopes to employ about 5,000 people at the factory, with wages starting at $35,000 annually. However, on Wednesday, Elon Musk said the company is now planning to employ more than 10,000 people.

In addition to hiring locals, the Austin Business Journal reports that Tesla has also partnered with Austin Community College, Huston-Tillotson University, the University of Texas, and Del Valle ISD. Chris Reilly, Tesla's director of recruiting and workforce development, said the company is working with local colleges with plans to recruit students who can graduate high school and start a career with Tesla while they continue their education.

As a result of Tesla's expansion in the Lone Star State, experts say it's likely other businesses will move to the Central Texas area to become part of the company's supply chain. The Austin Business Journal reports that in the Nevada area, where another Tesla facility is located, more than 150 businesses moved to Reno after it announced plans for another Gigafactory.

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