Professional services firm Deloitte is to create 400 new jobs in Ireland, the company confirmed on Friday.

Deloitte, which employs almost 2,000 people in Ireland, said it was seeking staff at all levels to work in its HR, technology and strategy and operations divisions.

It is recruiting 100 people immediately across a number of areas including big data analytics, business intelligence, HR and digital design. A further 300 jobs are promised over the next four years.

Deloitte also said on Friday the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission had given the go-ahead for its acquisition of the Irish technology consultancy System Dynamics.

System Dynamics, which was established in 1968 and employs over 200 people, provides a range of professional services for clients including AIB, Paddy Power and ESB. All System Dynamics staff are to transfer to Deloitte Consulting.

"The recruitment drive for these positions, and the acquisition of System Dynamics by Deloitte, reflects our commitment to investing in our Consulting practice. We have experienced considerable growth, with revenue growth of over 80 per cent and a doubling of our team in the last five years. Companies, and the marketplaces in which they operate, are in a near-constant state of disruption and as a result there is a significant demand for the integrated approach, quality, and innovation advice which we can provide. We are investing heavily in digital, technology, business intelligence, and analytics, and are looking to grow our consulting team to almost 1,000 people over the next four years, so that we are well placed to help our clients make the right choices for their businesses," said Deloitte managing partner Brendan Jennings.

Separately, 50 new high end research positions are to be created in Cork at APC's new Microbiome Institute, which is a collaboration between UCC, Teagasc and Cork Institute of Technology.