(June 21, 2011) A clear sign that the Japanese auto industry is poised for a full recovery from the March 11 earthquake is the report that Toyota and Honda will begin adding as many as 5,000 temporary workers in Japan.

According to a report by Bloomberg News today, Toyota will add between 3,000 and 4,000 temporary workers from mid-July as it starts to increase production in October. Honda will hire 1,000 temporary employees.

Toyota’s domestic plants are running at 90 percent of planned levels this month, up from 50 percent in April and May, because of a shortage of parts from suppliers damaged by the March disaster. Toyota, which had 69,000 full-time workers at the end of March, expects factories to reach 100 percent of planned production levels by July.

Toyota last hired temporary workers in December 2009, while Honda, Japan’s third-largest automaker, did so in April 2010.

Source: Bloomberg News