DONALDSONVILLE, La. — The workforce buildout for one of Louisiana’s largest manufacturing projects is moving from projections to actual hiring, with HYUNDAI-POSCO Louisiana Steel now recruiting for dozens of positions and planning to have roughly 1,000 employees on board by the end of 2028.
The company recently posted 37 openings through Louisiana Economic Development’s FastStart program, covering engineering, construction, infrastructure, materials management and other functions needed to prepare the $5.8 billion Ascension Parish steel mill for operations.
Company officials told 10/12 Industry Report that employment is expected to reach between 230 and 300 by the end of 2027 before the largest hiring wave begins in 2028. That is when hundreds of production employees are expected to join the workforce, pushing total employment to about 1,000 by year’s end.
The longer-term target is roughly 1,400 employees at the RiverPlex MegaPark facility. Most are expected to work in production, while approximately 350 positions are projected in engineering, supply chain, maintenance, logistics, human resources, accounting, talent development and other technical or administrative roles.
The hiring timeline provides a clearer picture of when the economic impact promised with the project announcement will begin reaching Louisiana workers. Major industrial projects often spend years in engineering, permitting and construction before permanent operations jobs arrive. HYUNDAI-POSCO is now beginning that transition while the mill itself remains under development.
The company is also building a local training pipeline rather than relying entirely on experienced workers recruited from outside Louisiana. It is working with schools, colleges and universities on process-technology programs, millwright training, electrical and instrumentation certifications, internships and other pathways into the plant.
River Parishes Community College is developing a dedicated Hyundai Steel Training Center in Donaldsonville. Louisiana Economic Development says the training facility is intended to prepare residents for jobs at the mill and other industrial employers in the River Parishes.
The steel plant is designed to produce approximately 2.7 million metric tons of automotive steel annually using electric-arc-furnace technology. Hyundai says the Louisiana mill will become its first steel production base in North America and supply Hyundai, Kia and other U.S. automotive manufacturing operations.
The project also carries a substantial Louisiana supply-chain component. State economic-development officials say about 70 percent of project contracts are with Louisiana companies, while Air Liquide is investing more than $350 million in Louisiana infrastructure to support the mill.
Construction and operations remain subject to required permits and the project schedule. A ceremonial groundbreaking was held in September, but company officials have said full construction activity depends on regulatory approvals, including the facility’s air permit.
For workers, however, the significant development is that the first wave of permanent hiring is no longer theoretical. Dozens of jobs are posted now, hundreds are expected by the end of next year, and the company says its largest production hiring push is coming in 2028.
Disclosure: Gov. Jeff Landry is a current advertiser with Cajun Conservatism. His administration has promoted and supported the Hyundai-POSCO project. The advertising relationship did not determine the decision to cover this development and provided no editorial control over this article.
Sources
LED FastStart — HYUNDAI-POSCO Louisiana Steel careers
Louisiana Economic Development — Hyundai Steel project overview
