The jobs have been offered to agency staff, who work in the assembly and paint plants at its Desford base, reports the Leicester Mercury.
Caterpillar is heading for its most productive year in more than half-a-century.
The firm will make more than 10,000 backhoe loaders at the Desford, Leicestershire plant this year and more in 2012.
Human resources manager Simon Collins said: "Our order book is very healthy.
"We export outside the euro zone, so what's been happening in Europe has not had such an impact on us because we've seen growth in America."
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