HP is to create 500 new jobs over the next 12 months at its Liffey Park Technology Campus in Leixlip, Co Kildare, the company confirmed today.
The announcement was made by Taoiseach Brian Cowen this afternoon.
HP, which already employs over 4,000 people in Ireland at facilities in Dublin, Leixlip, Galway and Belfast, said it is to create the positions as part of an €18 million IDA-supported investment at its multi-lingual support centre.
The new positions will be in the areas of technical support, R&D and training and the company is to begin recruiting for 300 positions with immediate effect it said.
HP moved its multi-lingual support centre from its Clonskeagh offices to Liffey Park Technology Campus last August.
In addition to the 300 support desk jobs being created immediately a research and development function will also be created with Ireland to become a centre of excellence for HP's outsourcing business.
Martin Murphy, managing director of HP Ireland said that over the next two to three years he would be "looking to double the numbers announced today".
"Customers will want to locate their projects where the know-how and expertise is based," said Mr Murphy.
He said HP Ireland won the project because of the track record of delivering global services from Leixlip and the availability of both technical and linguistic skills in the local job market.
HP's services division is growing at 15 per cent per annum despite the slow down in technology spending.
IDA Ireland chief executive Barry O'Leary said the project had been secured in an extremely short timeframe with the first conversation with HP taking place on December 22nd.