GM plans to boost tech force to 90%

SOUTHFIELD, MICH., General Motors Co., seeking to increase its internal information technology abilities over the next three to five years, said it expects to hire as many as 1,500 people for a new computer centre in Michigan.

GM, the largest U.S. automaker, has said it will hire about 10,000 workers as part of its plan to bring more work inhouse.

The new so-called Innovation Center in Warren, Mich., is one of four facilities planned in the U.S., GM said in a statement Monday. The first centre was announced in September when GM said it would hire as many as 500 people in Austin, Texas. GM does about 10 per cent of IT work internally, and chief information officer Randy Mott plans to boost that to 90 per cent.

“We’re currently seeking the next generation of gamechangers to help us usher in a new age of automotive innovation at GM,” Mott said in the statement.

Chief executive officer Dan Akerson wants to update GM’s computer and accounting systems as he reorganizes the company around global functions and brands, two people familiar with the thinking have said.

GM slid 0.9 per cent, closing at $24.57 in New York Monday. The shares have gained 22 per cent this year through Oct. 5.