beCogent, one of the UK's leading providers of outsourced contact centre services, today confirmed its plan to open a second major contact centre to extend its customer service capacity and provide a platform for significant growth over the next three years.

Workers at computer giant Hewlett-Packard, which employs thousands of people in Ireland, faced an uncertain future today after it emerged that the company planned to shed 1,400 jobs in Britain.

Hewlett-Packard plans to cut 1,400 jobs in the UK.

American computer company Compaq is to axe 700 jobs at a Scottish factory as part of a restructuring programme.