Belfast aerospace company Shorts is to recruit over 300 workers after an upturn in orders for aircraft built by its Canadian parent

News of the 330 positions came as Montreal-headquartered Bombardier announced better than expected third-quarter results and increased orders.

The Belfast plant makes parts including wings and some of the fuselage for Bombardier's CRJ700 and 900 regional jets.

The new jobs will be for a mixture of both permanent and temporary workers - the bulk expected to be temporary.

The company, once the largest manufacturing employer in Northern Ireland, has seen its workforce decline over recent years. It currently has a core workforce of around 5,000, together with additional temporary workers.

Last October the company made 440 workers redundant, 300 voluntarily, but managed to stave off a further 200 job cuts. It is expected many of the new posts will be offered to workers who were made redundant.

Image: A Bombardier CRJ900 jet