The Northern Ireland economy has been boosted by plans from IT giant Fujitsu to recruit an additional 150 staff.
The bulk of the jobs – 120 – will be located in Londonderry, with the balance in Belfast.
The £8.8 million investment is the company's third in the province in the past 18 months and will bring their total workforce in Northern Ireland to over 90
0.
The announcement came after a series of investment decisions by North American companies which were announced during a key investment conference held in Belfast last week.
Fujitsu is establishing an Applications Services Centre of Excellence backed by Invest NI to the tune of £2.2 million.
It said the centre would reinforce its Northern Ireland operation as a key component of its European network.
Announcing the investment, Economy Minister Nigel Dodds, said: "I am glad that a global brand of Fujitsu's standing has decided to reinvest further in Northern Ireland.
"The company considered several locations for this new centre of excellence but chose Northern Ireland because of the positive impact their existing operation here has on the company's global competitiveness."
Mr Dodds said Fujitsu attributed their success to the advanced telecommunications infrastructure in Northern Ireland, the highly qualified workforce, cost-competitive location and the support offered by Invest NI.
He added: "Northern Ireland has developed a reputation as an excellent location for inward investors looking to expand into Europe.
"As a result of this reputation we have attracted a string of blue-chip companies in recent years. The success of the recent US-NI Investment Conference highlights the genuine interest overseas investors have in taking advantage of the business opportunities on offer in Northern Ireland."
"Fujitsu is one of the world's largest independent providers of the Oracle eBusiness Suites services and has been experiencing rapid growth."
Mr Dodds said the expansion would contribute around £4 million a year in salaries to the local economy and would be a particular boost to the north-west of the Province.
Mike Crow, head of application services for Fujitsu in the province, said: "This investment reflects Fujitsu's confidence in its Northern Ireland operations and in the region's ability to deliver the skills and the work ethic that has made our experience here so positive."
The full article contains 382 words and appears in News Letter newspaper.
