Details have been announced of two projects which are expected to create almost 650 jobs in Cork city and county.
The country's second biggest insurer, Quinn Insurance, is to significantly expand its Irish business with the establishment of a new call centre at Little Island. This will add 500 new jobs over the next four years.
The company has invested €25m in the facility, which will provide it with the capacity to expand its business in Ireland and, in particular, in the UK. Quinn Insurance is part of the Quinn Group, which last year took over Bupa Ireland, the health insurer based in Fermoy in north Cork.
Quinn Insurance currently employs almost 3,000 people and has 1.25 million customers in Ireland and the UK.
Meanwhile, a company which manufactures devices for wireless internet access is to increase its workforce by 145 in Cork City.
Option Wireless is a subsidiary of a Belgian company and has been in Cork for the past 10 years. The company currently employs 300 people here and manufactures devices for wireless internet access, supplying customers like telecoms giants AT&T, Orange and T-Mobile. From its base in Cork City, Option Wireless manages the manufacturing process of the wireless internet devices from the beginning until the finished product its delivered to its customers worldwide.
The expansion of the company in Cork is being supported by the IDA and Option Wireless says it is confident it can expand its business, even in these difficult economic times.
Meanwhile, The Star newspaper has announced that it has let four staff members go from different areas across the company.
The Dublin-based tabloid has a total staff number of around 120.
