The Boeing Co. increased the number of people it employs in Washington state by 8,361 people last year.
In a recent update on its website, Boeing lists 81,978 employees in the state through Dec. 22, 2011. That’s up 8,361 Boeing workers in the state since December 2010 when the aerospace company had 73,617 employees in Washington.
Boeing has been increasing production rates on all its jet programs in the Puget Sound region. In 2012, Boeing plans to speed up production on its Everett-built 747-8, going up to 2 jets monthly from 1.5 monthly. The company also is continuing to ramp up production on its 787 and 777 programs in Everett as well as on its 737 jet, built in Renton.
Overall, Boeing employed 171,715 people company-wide at the end of 2011. That’s up from 160,537 at the end of 2010. Boeing’s commercial airplanes division gained about 12,955 workers in 2011, while the defense division shrank by about 2,885 workers. The company announced last week that it will close its defense site in Kansas in 2013.
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