280 new jobs are to be created at two separate companies, but 130 job cuts are planned at telecoms company Vodafone Ireland.
US health insurer UnitedHealth Group is to expand its operation in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, adding 200 new job. Its investment is being supported by IDA Ireland.
The Minneapolis-based health insurer currently employs 340 people in IT and medical claims processing at its Letterkenny site. The 200 new jobs will be split evenly between IT technicians and people working on medical claims. Recruitment has begun and it is expected that all positions will be filled by the end of 2011.
Tánaiste and Minister for Education Mary Coughlan described the news as a 'remarkable boost'. UnitedHealth's US Vice-President of Operations, Jim Becker, said the company looked at other sites around the world, but chose Letterkenny because of its 'strategic location and passionate workforce'.
80 jobs after firm's Siemens deal
Meanwhile, Irish technology company PFH has announced that it is will create 80 new jobs across the group. The company says the jobs are the result of its growth plans following its recent purchase of the Irish division of Siemens Enterprise Communications.
25 new jobs will be added by the end of this year, with the rest created by mid-2011. These jobs will be based in Dublin and Cork. The jobs are in product development, engineering, sales and marketing, along with financial and administrative staff.
Vodafone Ireland targets job cuts
Vodafone Ireland has told staff it is looking to cut its workforce by around 130, following a review of its organisational structure and costs.
The company is consulting staff and unions about the plans, adding that the reductions are expected to be through voluntary redundancies and early retirement.
'Given the significant deterioration in the market, the decline in consumer spending and the impact this has had across the telecoms industry, we have to review all costs within our business to ensure we're operating efficiently and delivering good value to our customers,' said the company's HR director Francesco Bianco .
Vodafone Ireland employs around 1,200 people.
