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Billerica Factory Swamped With Calls From Interested Employers

A Billerica factory closing its doors in September is getting a lot of calls from employers wanting to hire the people about to be laid off.

Jabil Circuit ran an ad asking companies to hire its "exceptionally skilled and experienced employees" in the Boston Globe this week.

WBUR's Fred Thys reports.

Bill Frake, Jabil's plant manager in Billerica, says telling the 315 employees that the plant would close is harder than anything he ever had to do in 20 years as commander of a submarine.

He says the response to the ad in the Globe encouraging employers to hire its "hard-working and dedicated employees" has been insane. He says his voice mail is full every day with messages from people who want to hire his people.

"Kinda overwhelming, I guess you could say," Frake says. "Probably within, I'd say, four hours, we had upwards of 35 to 40 companies call."

Frake says some employers are ready to hire now, others closer to when the Billerica plant closes.

This program aired on February 27, 2009. The audio for this program is not available.

Headshot of Fred Thys

Fred Thys Reporter
Fred Thys reported on politics and higher education for WBUR.

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