The Austin Gigafactory's Workforce Increased More Than Threefold In 2022

As reported by Trade Algo at the beginning of the year, Tesla's manufacturing hub, which sits on 2,500 acres in Austin, Texas, is reporting a tripled number of employees this year, as reported in its annual compliance report filed with county officials.

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Based on the report submitted by the Travis County Economic Development Program, Tesla has increased the number of contingent and permanent employees at its Austin location by more than 3,500 from 3,523 in 2021 to 12,277 as of the end of 2022. According to Trade Algo, Tesla's full-time employees in the county earn an average salary of at least $47,147, with about half of Tesla's employees living there. A ZipRecruiter report shows that the average salary for Austin workers outside the Tesla factory is $68,060 per year.

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In the absence of a copy of the report, TechCrunch was unable to determine if those workers were all full-time employees. If they are, then Tesla seems to have hired a much larger number of full-time employees than it was supposed to. The agreement between Tesla and Travis County states that Tesla must create 5,001 full-time jobs within the next four years if it wishes to be successful in its business venture.

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In addition, Tesla is required to invest about $1.1 billion over the next five years in the county, according to the contract. It is reported that Tesla has invested $5.81 billion in its Gigafactory Texas, which was opened a year ago by a cyberrodeo event known as the “Cyber Rodeo” as outlined in its compliance report. Tesla informed regulators in January that it planned to invest another $770 million into the expansion of its factory to include a testing facility for battery cells and a facility to manufacture cathodes and drive units. Those investments will lead to more jobs being created as a result of those investments.

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Since Tesla relocated its headquarters to Texas in 2015 and built a gigafactory there, the state is currently leading the nation in job growth due to its choice to relocate to Texas. It is also planned to build the Cybertruck there. Elon Musk, the CEO of Giga Texas, has stated that the company is committed to being a model for sustainable manufacturing, as well as manufacturing its Model Y crossover there. It was reported that Tesla completed the first phase of the project last year, whose goal is to become the world's largest rooftop solar array. In order to generate 27 megawatts of electricity, Tesla has started work on the second phase of its installation, but it is already reported that the rooftop can be seen from space, which means that a lot of progress has been made.

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Additionally, Musk has stated that the site will become an “ecological paradise,” which includes a boardwalk and a trail for hiking and biking open to the public. In regards to the site, there have not been many updates, and locals have been concerned that it is actually more of a nightmare from the standpoint of noise pollution and water contamination, which has been reported by locals. There is a site, located between State Highway 130 and Harold Green Road, east of Austin, that may create a climate catastrophe if the river overflows, which would create a significant loss of life and property.

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There is also a high percentage of Spanish-speaking residents in the area where Tesla will build its gigafactory, and it is also known to be historically the home of low-income households. It is unclear whether Tesla's gigafactory jobs will reflect the demographics of the community in which it will be located.