A total of 390 jobs have been announced today for counties Carlow and Cork.
Pharmaceutical company Merck Sharpe & Dohme is creating 170 jobs with a new vaccine facility in Carlow, while one of the world's biggest hotel chains, Marriott International, has announced it is opening a call centre in Cork which will lead to the creation of 220 jobs.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen attended the construction commencement of Merck Sharp & Dohme’s new €200m vaccine facility in Carlow today, which is supported by Government through IDA Ireland.
During the construction phase, 300 construction workers will be employed. The 170 new high quality permanent jobs will be created by 2011.
The investment was initially announced in November 2007, following Merck Sharp & Dohme’s acquisition of the 65-acre IDA Carlow Business and Technology Park.
As well as the new Carlow facility, Merck Sharpe & Dohme also has operations in Dublin and Tipperary.
MSD's Irish operations are involved in the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of vaccines and medicines that address worldwide medical needs.
The new Carlow plant will provide jobs for experts in science, engineering, pharmacy, microbiology, technology, IT, management, quality control, production, administration, maintenance, safety and environment.
Marriott International to open new call centre
Meanwhile, Labour Affairs Minister Billy Kelleher has announced that Marriott International, one of the world's largest hoteliers, is to establish its second operation in Cork, creating 220 new high quality jobs over five years.
The new Cork centre will be responsible for handling reservation and customer inquiry calls for Marriott International's more than 3,100 hotels originating from Ireland, the United Kingdom and continental Europe.
The new centre, located in a 10,400 square foot facility in Blackpool, Cork city, will serve the guests of Marriott's global network of hotels and is expected to handle approximately 1.5 million calls by the end of 2009.
Recruitment for the new call centre has already bugun.
The company already employs 160 people in Cork at the European headquarters of its timeshare vacation club, which was established at the Cork Airport Business Park in 2002.
The new project is again supported by the IDA, and the Government describes it as an endorsement of Ireland's reputation in customer service and customer support centres.
