SAO PAULO, April 17 (Reuters) - Latin American

e-commerce giant MercadoLibre ( MELI ) plans to increase total

staff by 30% in 2024 by hiring some 18,000 people as it seeks to

build its business in Mexico and elsewhere, it said on

Wednesday.

The company said in a statement the hiring spree will bring

its total headcount to around 76,000 people, excluding temporary

and outsourced workers.

"MercadoLibre's ( MELI ) hiring plan follows the company's growing

performance and will help sustain the expansion of operations

with the investments planned for the year," it said in a

statement.

MercadoLibre ( MELI ) plans to hire about 8,200 people in Mexico in

2024, the most among the 18 countries in which it operates,

increasing its staff in Latin America's second-largest economy

by more than 50% to 24,400 employees.

MercadoLibre ( MELI ) has been seeking to expand operations in

Mexico, which was its No. 3 market by revenue in 2023, behind

only Brazil and Argentina.

On Monday, the company disclosed plans to hire about 6,500

people in Brazil, where it generates more than half its total

revenue.

From the total number of people it plans to hire in Latin

America, MercadoLibre ( MELI ) - which also owns financial technology

firm Mercado Pago - said some 14,000 would be for its logistics

department, while 2,500 are expected to fill technology roles.

In Argentina, MercadoLibre ( MELI ) plans to hire about 1,800 people,

increasing its staff by about 17%.