Article link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/ford-adds-1000-jobs-at-retooled-oakville-plant/article20869421/

Ford MC is an American multinational manufacturer of automobiles, founded in 1903 by Henry Ford with a headquarters located in Dearborn, Michigan. Ford is also a pioneer in the large-scale production of cars, introducing processes such as assembly line production to the auto motor industry. The article discusses Ford’s recent decision to create 1,000 jobs at their Oakville, Ontario plant to help prepare for the launch of their new model of the Ford Edge. 

Not long before the announcement, the employment level in vehicle assembly was facing an all time low, with a decline of 23% from 64,700 in 2013 to 49,000 in June 2014. One main reason for this drop is automation of the production process, which is the shift from using labor workers to operating equipment and machines in the manufacturing of a product. With new technology developments over time, more and more businesses have shifted to this new system of production. Automation is also more common in the auto motor industry, as the production process involves the moving and manipulation of heavy materials not easily handled by a person. Automation can help speed up the product process and eliminate all human error. However, the risk of machine breakdown exists, employees need to be trained to monitor these machines, and maintenance costs are still incurred. 

Automation has reduced the need for employees in the production process, which has led to a large decrease in employment levels. Therefore, it can be seen that it is rare case for a motor company such as Ford to suddenly create a large number of employment opportunities.