A 3.9% pay rise to all JCB shop floor employees came into effect on 1 January 2018. Linked to the November retail price index, it affects 3,200 UK employees.

“The outlook for 2018 is positive with markets all over the world in exceptionally good shape,” chief executive officer Graeme Macdonald said.

The machinery manufacturers have also increased their workforce across their 11 UK factories by recruiting over 1,200 extra staff and have handed out permanent contracts to 150 agency workers with a view to hiring more in the near future.

They have also gone into production of a new range of site dumpers at its World HQ in Staffordshire which is expected to create an additional 70 new jobs over the next 12 months.

JCB has increased their global purchasing to £2bn annually and its spending among UK suppliers by 13% as a result of introducing 46 new products.

“With unemployment at its lowest level for more than 40 years, we face some challenges with recruitment but that is a great challenge to have to overcome and a very positive position for the UK to find itself in,” chairman of the company Lord Bamford said.

Bamford hit headlines in lead up to the UK referendum on Brexit for encouraging the company’s employees to vote in favour of the leave campaign.

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