THE Government will be asked this week to approve new projects providing up to 4,000 jobs, including one involving IBM, the US computer multinational.
IBM is on the point of establishing a major plant in west Dublin, one of the biggest projects ever announced here.
The plant, which will include manufacturing and a range of other services, will represent an investment of at least £150 million and could eventually employ nearly 3,000 people.
The other project envisages 1,000 jobs in the health-care sector in a project to be based in the Munster region. The projects closely follow two big projects for Dublin and Cork announced by the Minister for Enterprise and Employment, Mr Bruton, this week.
These include the announcement yesterday that Hertz, the car rental company, is setting up a teleservices centre in Swords, Co Dublin, which will eventually employ 600 people. In Cork, Berg Electronics is establishing a £7.4 million plant in Fermoy which will employ 310.
It is understood that the new IBM operation will be part of the multinational's overall restructuring drive, which includes reorganising its European operation. The jobs, which will include substantial employment for graduates, will become available over three to four years.
The IBM deal will bring to more than 20,000 the number of potential jobs which projects announced so far this year could create. This week alone, almost 1,000 jobs have already been announced for Dublin and Cork.
The IBM project, which will be located in west Dublin - probably Blanchardstown - entails building one million square feet of factory and office space. In terms of size, the project will rank alongside those of Intel and Hewlett Packard and is expected to go before the Cabinet for approval shortly.
Spokesmen for IBM, the IDA and the Department of Enterprise declined to comment on the IBM project last night. It is understood it will entail state investment well in excess of £30 million.
The rough guideline is £10,000-£12,000 per job, but sources said yesterday that grant aid would vary and could work out at more per job. It is understood that the IDA won the project against stiff opposition from several other European countries, including Scotland, which has a very favourable grant aid environment.
IBM currently employs 500 directly in Ireland. Its activities range from software development to technical support, sales and marketing.
Excluding the new project, IBM is expected to employ 1,250 people by the end of 1997-1998. Earlier this year it announced plans to create 750 jobs in a new customer support office.
Backed by grant aid from the IDA, that project is in Blanchardstown, Co Dublin, and so far employs 300 people.
IBM also owns Lotus Development, the US multinational which employs 500 here. It bought Lotus, which is the world's third-largest software company, last year for £2.2 billion.
Although the latest project will significantly boost IBM in terms of numbers employed, the US multinational electronics company, Intel, employs the largest number of people in the electronics/computers sector.