diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index da8528858840ec2034336f6e6aeff48dc687fe54..5ea07b87450d365324a91cf824e8793d7d1a8b57 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -104,6 +104,9 @@ variables:
   DOCKER_NTRIES: 5
   DOCKER_WAIT_TIME: 5
 
+  ## Number of jobs to start during container builds
+  JOBS: 128
+
   ## is this nightly or not?
   NIGHTLY:
 
@@ -327,6 +330,7 @@ jug_dev:default:
                    --build-arg S3_SECRET_KEY="${S3_SECRET_KEY}"
                    --build-arg INTERNAL_TAG=${INTERNAL_TAG}
                    --build-arg JUG_VERSION=${INTERNAL_TAG}-$(git rev-parse HEAD)
+                   --build-arg jobs=${JOBS}
                    --build-context spack=.
                    --secret id=mirrors,src=mirrors.yaml
                    containers/jug
@@ -361,7 +365,7 @@ jug_xl:default:
                    --build-arg JUGGLER_VERSION=${JUGGLER_VERSION}
                    --build-arg EICRECON_VERSION=${EICRECON_VERSION}
                    --build-arg JUG_VERSION=${INTERNAL_TAG}-$(git rev-parse HEAD)
-                   --build-arg jobs=64
+                   --build-arg jobs=${JOBS}
                    --build-context detectors=.
                    containers/jug