Hertz Corporation, the US car rental company, will create 150 new jobs in a €30 million investment at its European call services centre in north county Dublin.
One thousand staff are already employed at the Swords facility, which processes calls from Hertz's nine major continental markets.
The positions will be filled over the next two years with recruits working in customer services, reservations, sales, training and development and administrative divisions.
They will be based in a 115,000 sq ft extension officially opened yesterday.
While the downturn in global business was a cause for concern, Hertz continued to perform strongly in Europe, said Mr Andrew Varley, division vice-president of Hertz's European services centre. Strong growth was predicted over the next 24 months, Mr Varley said.
He added: "Although we are working in uncertain economic conditions, we remain optimistic about the long-term growth of our business and our services operation in Dublin."
Speaking at a press conference to announce the new jobs, the Taoiseach Mr Ahern said Hertz's decision to invest in Swords underscored the State's high standing in the eyes of foreign investors.
Mr Ahern said: "The opening of this new facility is a vote of confidence in the strong fundamentals of the Irish economy."
Hertz established its European call centre at Swords in 1996, initially employing 400. The workforce rose to 1,000 with the opening of a second unit on the site in 1998.
Half the staff is Irish with the remainder drawn from Europe and the rest of the world. The centre handles up to 35,000 calls a day.
