Insurance company Axa is to create 200 new jobs in Ireland over the next three years with the establishment of a global life product distribution and servicing subsidiary.
The jobs will be created at subsidiary Axa Global Distributors in Dublin. The jobs will be in marketing, finance, information technology, telephone sales, product development, customer services and policy administration.
The news was welcomed by Taoiseach Brian Cowen, who said the investment reflected the country's reputation as a prime location for innovative companies.
"It is a positive endorsement from a global leader that Ireland can provide the necessary skills, pro-business policies and strong regulatory environment to assist companies such as Axa in rapidly growing their international business," he said.
"Today's news is a strong commitment by Axa to the growth and development of its Irish operations."
The joint managing director of Axa Global Distributors Matthieu André said the decision to locate the headquarters in Dublin was due to the success of its other operations in the country, the availability of skilled graduates, and the access provided to other EU markets.
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Batt O'Keeffe said the investment win was proof Ireland could outperform competitors.
"The new jobs in high-value areas adds momentum to Ireland's economic recovery project and demonstrates that we can continue to win investments against stiff competition from other countries," he said.
The news follows a number of announcements affecting the Irish jobs market in recent weeks.
Last week, international computer games firm Electronic Arts said it plans to open a European customer service and operations centre in Galway, creating about 200 jobs.
Telecoms company Telefonica is to create 100 jobs at its Dublin office and US internet security company Webroot will create 50 jobs over the next two years with the decision to locate its international headquarters in Ireland. Business software provider SAP is also beginning a recruitment campaign to fill 75 positions at its Irish operations, bringing its total number of employees here to about 1,000 people.
However, Pfizer recently announced it would cut 785 positions from its Irish operations as part of a fundamental restructuring of its manufacturing business, which will mean 6,000 job cuts worldwide.
Almost 200 jobs were lost at the healthcare group Covidien, which is the biggest employer in Tullamore, last week.
