Tesla Outlines Plans To Hire 5,000 Employees For Texas Cybertruck Gigafactory

Featured Image Credit: (Background) Tesla, (Flag) Nicholas Raymond/Flickr

Texas received a formal pitch from Tesla for its Cybertruck factory on Tuesday. The pitch included Tesla's plans to hire up to 5,000 employees based on the company's prepared presentation. 

According to the presentation, Tesla stated that its factory could bring 5,000 "middle-skill" jobs to Travis County, reported Bloomberg. The employees at Giga Texas could receive an average annual salary north of US$47,000. 

Tesla also said that the applicants applying for the company's "middle-skill" jobs would not require a substantial level of higher education, which may come as a surprise to some. However, Tesla's CEO has been open about his feelings concerning higher education in the past. 

Elon Musk's outlook on education even extended to Tesla's AI Autopilot team. "A PhD is definitely not required. All that matters is a deep understanding of AI & ability to implement NNs in a way that is actually useful (latter point is what's truly hard). Don't care if you even graduated high school," he said on Twitter. 

The last months have had a devastating economic impact on many people around the world due to the pandemic. Based on its presentation, Tesla is aware of this fact. 

Tesla Cybertruck 'Terafactory' Location Seemingly Confirmed With Austin, TX Land Purchase https://t.co/haGecCulje

— Tesmanian.com (@Tesmanian_com) June 18, 2020

According to Statesman, Texas appears to have slowed down the number of layoffs in the state. However, the number of Texans filing for benefits remains high and is still rising. As of June 19, The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that Texas recorded one of the largest job gains in the United States, with +273,800 in nonfarm payroll employment. However, the Lone Star state also had the largest over-the-year job decline in nonfarm payroll employment with -917,800. 

In its presentation, Tesla cited data from the Federal Reserve. According to the data it gathered, Travis County's unemployment rate went up 12.4% in April compared to 2.2% the previous year. 

The economic straits people must endure during these trying times could affect people's ability to attain higher education. So offering jobs without requiring higher education or degrees might be an alluring proposition for those looking for work. 

Previously, Musk had shared with the public that Tesla had the option to purchase a 2,100-acre plot in Austin, Texas, for US$5,298,275, but the company is yet to make any move towards buying the land. However, Tesla's meeting with Travis County indicates that Elon Musk has decided to at least broach the subject with Texas.