HALIFAX — New Brunswick-based J.D. Irving says it expects to hire about 7,900 people in the next three years to work for its operations in Canada and the United States.

The company says the vast majority of those positions — 89 per cent — would be in the Atlantic provinces.

Spokeswoman Mary Keith says the jobs could benefit some of the hundreds of New Brunswickers losing their positions in Sussex with the closure of the Picadilly potash mine.

Keith says J.D. Irving plans to hold a job fair in Sussex next week.

Some of the jobs expected in the next three years include positions in manufacturing, engineering, and shipbuilding, among other areas.

J.D. Irving says the hires are the result of retirements, normal turnover within the workforce, and anticipated business growth.