VW generates 12,400 jobs in Chattanooga area, study shows

photo Chanee Baker installs a tunnel shield to the chasis of a Volkswagen Passat on the production line.

A new study on the Volkswagen plant's impact on the Chattanooga area shows it has fueled about 12,400 direct and indirect jobs.

Also, VW, its suppliers and related businesses are injecting payroll worth $643 million a year into the economy, said Dr. Bill Fox, who heads the University of Tennessee Center for Business and Economic Research.

"You hardly need for me to tell you how important VW is to the community," said Fox today at the Mayors Industry Appreciation Breakfast.

Fox said that automotive production plants such as VW's uniquely stimulate an economy.

He estimated that the average salary for VW's 2,415 direct jobs is $66,000 a year.

"Then people spend money in grocery stores, then they buy houses," Fox said. "The multiplier is much greater for automotive than any other industry."

See more in Wednesday's Times Free Press.

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