NNA - French rail giant Alstom announced Friday it plans to hire 7,500 people worldwide this year to meet rising demand and record orders totalling 77.8 billion euros at the end of last year.

The firm hopes to hire 6,000 engineers and managers as well as 1,500 workers and technicians, according to the firm that has 72,000 salaried staff around the world.

"These hires are aimed at projects involving rolling stock, signals, and services," Alstom said in a statement.

"The company doubled in size a year ago (with the purchase of the Canadian Bombardier Transport), we are present in 70 countries and our order sheet is quite big," the group's director of human resources, Anne-Sophie Chauveau-Galas, told AFP.

"So we have needs everywhere in the world to implement contracts," she added.--AFP

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