British Steel has announced plans to recruit more than 180 new employees [1] as it prepares to increase iron and steel production, marking the first significant expansion since the UK government intervened to prevent the shutdown of its blast furnaces.
The company is hiring 165 workers in Scunthorpe and an additional 17 across its Teesside and Skinningrove operations, reinforcing production at its two blast furnaces. This recruitment follows the government’s emergency intervention to ensure continued operations, amid concerns that British Steel’s Chinese owner, Jingye, intended to cease production, threatening 2,700 jobs.
Increasing output may help counter financial losses at the Scunthorpe plant, which Jingye estimates at more than £700,000 per day. Although the company remains the legal owner, the government now holds authority over strategic decisions regarding the site.
Allan Bell, British Steel’s interim chief executive, emphasized the company’s commitment to strengthening its role in the global steel industry. “With the backing of the UK government, we are focused on cementing British Steel as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of steel. These are exciting opportunities across our business, offering rewarding careers, which will play important roles in building stronger futures for our business and the UK economy,” Bell stated.
Following the government’s takeover, officials prioritized securing shipments of raw materials for the Scunthorpe facility. Last month, a delivery of 55,000 tonnes of coking coal arrived from Bluescope Steel’s operations in Australia to support continued production at the site’s two blast furnaces, Queen Anne and Queen Bess.
Alun Davies, national secretary for steel at Community, a union representing steelworkers, welcomed the recruitment initiative, citing longstanding concerns about staffing shortages. “We regularly highlighted that there was a need to recruit to keep up with the workload and reduce reliance on overtime. This went unheeded for far too long. It’s good to see that the UK government and UK management team are taking swift action to address this by recruiting new staff across the business,” Davies remarked.
British Steel’s hiring efforts span multiple departments, including engineering, commercial, legal, and occupational roles, alongside entry-level shift manufacturing positions. The company is also seeking candidates for welding, nursing, and customer service roles. A recruitment open day is scheduled for 17 May at the Scunthorpe conference center.
While the blast furnaces will continue operations for now, industry analysts anticipate a transition to cleaner electric arc furnaces in the coming years as part of efforts to modernize the site’s production methods.
Sources:
[1] British Steel to hire more staff weeks after government rescue https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/may/07/british-steel-to-hire-more-staff-government-rescue-scunthorpe