PA consulting Group to create 400 jobs in North

PA Consulting Group plans to create 400 jobs in Northern Ireland as part of an investment in a digital development centre.

The management, systems and technology consulting firm said on Tuesday it had chosen Belfast as the location to develop an expanded team of digital specialists.

“We thought long and hard about where was the best place for our next phase of expansion, and considered factors such as the talent pool, the current technology sector, salaries, education and universities, and infrastructure. Northern Ireland ticked all the boxes,” said Anita Chandraker, PA Consulting’s global head of innovation services and board member.

“Digital assets now do more to drive revenues, margins and market capitalisation than physical assets, and the use of digital technologies, such as the Internet of Things, cloud and blockchain continues to grow.”

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Invest Northern Ireland is backing the investment project with nearly £4 million (€4.44 million) of government support. And PA Consulting has already started recruiting its team in the North with 40 people on board so far.

The 400 jobs are expected to be created over the next five years and could deliver a £14.5 million boost in wages alone for the North’s economy annually.

Chief executive of Invest Northern Ireland Alastair Hamilton said the Belfast employees would be part of PA's global operation which has a "long track record and world-class expertise in digital innovation and transformation".

“The initial focus for PA will be on digital engineering. With roles from graduate-level developers through to senior engineering roles available there are opportunities for those interested in digital technology to work on projects involving dev ops, software development, data analytics, security and automated intelligence,” added Mr Hamilton.