Volvo Cars has begun recruiting for its new factory near Košice in eastern Slovakia, as construction advances towards full-scale production in early 2027.
Marc Gombeer, head of Volvo Car Slovakia, said on Thursday, 4 September, the company aimed to take on 1,000 employees this year, rising to at least 3,300 in subsequent phases. Current headcount at the site stands at about 250. Roles on offer range from production-line operators to specialist engineers and managers, according to Slovak media reports.
Hundreds of vacancies have already been advertised on recruitment portals, with entry-level salaries ranging from €1,300 to €4,800. A manufacturing engineer role, for example, offers a starting salary of €2,300 gross, along with a guaranteed 13th month’s pay and performance-related bonuses. Maintenance technicians are offered from €1,450, while logistics engineers start from €1,950. The company said average monthly pay for an operator will be €1,280, plus bonuses and a 13th salary.
Construction of the Valaliky site — which covers an area equivalent to 300 football pitches — began on 20 February 2023 and has now entered its second phase. The plant is being built by Japanese contractor Takenaka. Volvo said work was progressing “at a fast pace”, with installation of core technologies already under way. Pre-series test production is planned for mid-2026, followed by mass production the following year.
The factory is intended to produce Volvo’s next generation of electric vehicles. The first model will be a fully electric compact SUV, with the Polestar 7 SUV to follow in 2028.
