US company announces 1,000 call centre jobs for Belfast

Nearly 1,000 jobs are being created in Belfast by a US customer services call centre company. The announcement was made by Stream, a business process outsourcing (BPO) company.

The investment, which is supported by nearly £2.9 million of public funds, was announced by the Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness ahead of a forthcoming investment conference aimed at foreign direct investment. The investment was also greeted by Stormont ministers Arlene Foster and Steven Farry.

Roughly half the jobs have been set up with the remainder du ein the coming months leading to the local east Belfast economy benefitting from some £14 million in salaries annually

The company once employed a similar number at a call centre in Derry which closed in 2011. It denies closing one venture to open another in Belfast.

Mr Robinson said: "This expansion by Stream is positive news ahead of our investment conference where we expect to welcome over 100 potential investors to Northern Ireland. We are growing as an attractive place for foreign direct investment and Stream's location here is further proof of our global appeal."

Mr McGuinness said the expansion is “positive news for our economy and creates much needed jobs that offer flexible employment and the opportunity to develop transferrable skills”.

“Once recruitment has completed Stream expects to employ more than 1,700 people here.”

He added: “The high level of collaboration between industry, academia and government here, ensures investors have immediate access to the tools they need to establish and grow a successful business.”

Invest NI, the inward investment support body, and the Department for Employment and Learning have offered a total of £3.3 million support to secure this 993 jobs project. Invest NI has offered £2.8 million of support through its Jobs Fund and the Department for Employment and Learning has also offered over £496,500 of training support under its Assured Skills programme to Stream.

Stream Chairman and chief executive Kathy Marinello said: "A number of locations were considered for this project, however Northern Ireland best met our needs.

“The talented people we have in Northern Ireland have already made significant contribution to our operations. This investment from both Invest NI and the Department for Employment and Learning underlines the value placed on the skills and commitment of our local workforce. We are focused on providing meaningful career opportunities for our Northern Ireland employees.”