THE country’s largest timber-frame house manufacturer is to create hundreds of jobs in a €5m investment in the Midlands and south east.

A total of 150 posts are to be created in Dublin through a deal between Microsoft and the SITEL customer services provider.

THE fall-out from global economic downturn hit hard yesterday when Celestica Electronics shed half of its workforce of 500 at Swords, Co Dublin.

A training and job placement initiative is being established for north county Dublin to help find alternative work for staff laid off at Celestica, Aer Lingus, Gateway and Morocco.