Jobs boost for the city as HP announces 140 new posts

Date Published: 09-Feb-2012

By Dara Bradley

Computer giant Hewlett Packard is to create around 140 new jobs at its Enterprise Business IT Division at Ballybrit – this is on top of the 155 positions it announced over the past 14 months, which have all been filled.

HP, formerly Digital, commenced recruitment yesterday for 140 high-end positions in Galway – approximately 75 positions will be in research and development (R&D) and about 65 technical and support jobs. The announcement is part of a wider expansion of its workforce across Ireland with around 140 positions to be created in Leixlip, Kildare, as well.

HP Galway already employs as many as 700 at its Galway plant following two separate recruitment drives over the past 14 months. At Christmas 2010, the leading US multinational created 105 positions in Galway and a further 55 jobs were announced in April of last year.

The new jobs are part of a €45 million injection of investment into the company’s expanding research and development. This major initiative is supported by the Industrial Development Agency (IDA) and will help to further embed HP into the industrial fabric of Galway.

The company last year celebrated its 40th anniversary of having a base in the city – it started as Digital as a manufacturing facility employing unskilled and semi-skilled workers and has grown to be an employer of highly skilled and ‘value-added’ jobs in software development, research and development and software services.

A spokesperson at HP, Ballybrit, told the Galway City Tribune that the company was looking to recruit highly skilled graduates as well as more experienced personnel.

The new jobs will be in the area of IT software development, software testing, cloud computing and support.

Read more in today’s Galway City Tribune