There is good news for those who work for the automotive industry – according to an article in the New York Times, General Motors has announced its plans to bring back 3,000 jobs within its United States assembly plants. Furthermore, the company says it is planning to increase its North American product by up to 45% when next year rolls around.

Apparently, GM plants to add shifts to three of its assembly plants as it consolidates the production taking place in other plants that are either being closed or undergoing retooling. Since this process will take time, the 2009 production schedule will not see immediate change. Nonetheless, the company plans to increase production in North America by approximately 2.8 million automobiles by 2010. This figure will represent an increase of about 40 to 45% when compared to 2009.

By next year, the company says it should have restored 2,400 jobs in its assembly plants as well as 600 other jobs within facilities responsible for producing transmissions, engines, castings and stampings. Those plants that will be affected include plants in Michigan, Kansas and Indiana.

More specifically, a shift will be added to a plant in Fairfax, Kansas this January after production stops in Orion, Michigan in order to retool that plant for production of a new small car. Another shift will also be added to a plant in Forth Wayne, Indiana, which will focus on the production of heavy-duty pickups. A plant in Pontiac, Michigan, on the other hand, will be closed at the end of September. Production will also end at a plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee at the end of November, while production will be added to a plant in Township, Michigan in April.

After the federal government’s “cash for clunkers” program helped lift sales throughout July and August, GM has been facing low inventories. This fact, combined with the fact that auto industry sales in the United States are thought to have bottomed out, has lead to a need for auto manufactures to increase their production. At the same time, sales have been slow since the “clunkers” program came to an end.

“Our year-over-year comps will be difficult on both the fleet and retail side, but both accounts will get better beginning in October right through the fourth quarter,” said Mark LaNeve, who is the vice president of U.S. sales for GM, in the New York Times article. .

In order to fill the positions, GM plans to first draw from its pool of laid off workers – including both those who are currently laid off and those who will be laid off once other plants are shut down. The company believes this pool of workers will fill nearly all of the available openings.