Further boost for Cork as outsourcing firm creates 150 jobs

CORK will get another jobs boost today when Taoiseach Brian Cowen announces the creation of around 150 positions at a Blackrock firm.

This will bring the total number of jobs announced in Cork this week to 450. On Monday outsourcing firm, Abtran, said it was creating 300 jobs at its operations in Bishopstown.

The Taoiseach is expected at Blackrock-based VoxPro this afternoon to make the announcement.

VoxPro, based at Riverview Business Park, provides call-centre services. It was set up in 1973 and manages the contacts in seven languages. It offers services from customer support to processing and payment to telemarketing.

Its clients include the Environmental Protection Agency, Greenstar, Musgraves, PFH and Zamano.

The company refused to comment on the announcement yesterday but it is understood that this is a significant investment for the firm. It already employs 120 people in Cork.

Enterprise Minister Batt O’Keeffe is also expected to attend the announcement tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Abtran said the 300 new jobs it announced on Monday will be realised gradually over the next two years into the end of 2012.

The company said it has had an influx of enquiries since the announcement.

“Recruitment is ongoing all the time at present. There would already be a consistent flow of applications into Abtran each week, and there has certainly been a flurry of enquiries and applications in the past few days. All of these enquiries are being registered and will be followed up in the weeks and months ahead by the human resources department,” said a spokesman.

The jobs will be in management, business administration, finance, resource planning, information technology and human resources.

Abtran, which employs 1,000 workers, is the largest Irish company providing clients with business process services, from finance and administration to sales and customer service. It has two operations in the Bishopstown area of Cork city.