Ericsson jobs boost for Athlone

There was a significant jobs boost for Athlone last week as Ericsson announced that it would be taking on an additional 100 software engineers at its research and development facility in Athlone. The Westmeath Independent first revealed in April last that Ericsson expected to recruit in excess of 100 people at its Athlone facility this year. The company declined to comment at the time, but last week announced that it would recruit 100 software engineers for Athlone to support both local and regional remits. There are currently 800 employees on site at Ericsson Athlone, a spokeswoman for the company told the Westmeath Independent this week. She said Ericsson would be recruiting the additional staff immediately. And while there will soon be an additional 100 staff on site, Ericsson is not planning an expansion of its Athlone facility, opting instead for a refurbishment of the plant. A spokeswoman explained that the refurbishment will create an agile workspace and areas for collaborative working, for sharing ideas and desks that move up and down at the touch of a button so that designers can work or develop standing, as some people prefer. She added that this design follows that of the Swedish office and will now be implemented across the world in Ericsson's offices. It is not expected that there will be any further jobs announcements for the Athlone facility this year, but Ericsson hopes to add a smaller number of new roles to its Dublin office, with recruitment expected to begin soon. The addition of the 100 jobs to the Athlone facility was given a broad welcome last week, with Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, saying it was a great vote of confidence in Ireland's policies. Minister Bruton said: "If we are to get the economy growing and create the jobs of the future here in Ireland, we must ensure that we are providing all possible support to R&D projects by both Irish and multinational companies here. "In last month's Jobs Initiative we announced a simple, technical, revenue-neutral change to the R&D tax credit which makes it much cheaper and more attractive for multinationals to locate R&D facilities in Ireland and to employ researchers here." Ericsson's Managing Director in Ireland, Michael Gallagher said: "With the drive to improve the quality and diversity of mobile broadband services such as IP-TV and smart phone applications etc, we are growing our skill base in the intelligent network management area to enable our customers to provide a better end-user experience. Our aim is to sustain our leading position in mobile broadband by also providing leading-edge network management solutions." Mr Gallagher acknowledged that Ericsson had received support from the IDA, saying: "Supported by the IDA, we have a mandate which will create new employment and will help the sustainability of local operations." CEO of IDA Ireland, Barry O'Leary, said: "Ericsson plays a huge role in the economic life of the Midlands and already employs a substantial number of people in Athlone. The addition of 100 highly skilled jobs to the Midlands gateway is very welcome news by a leading technology company such as Ericsson and this emphasises the quality of the skilled workforce available and the pro-business environment here." Fine Gael's Deputy Nicky McFadden said the jobs announcement was a clear sign that the economy was making progress. "This significant jobs boost for Athlone shows just how ideal the town is for business. I have always said that with its central location, transport links and highly skilled workforce, Athlone has the potential to play a huge role in Ireland's economic recovery. "These jobs also make it clear that we need to invest in software and IT companies and to continue to produce graduates with the necessary qualifications to do these jobs. These jobs will not only bring employment to Athlone but also a renewed sense of confidence to the town," she said. Her party colleague Cllr Alan Shaw also welcomed the news saying: "This is great news for the existing workers in the Athlone centre and further secures the company's presence in Ireland and Athlone." "Adding to Ericsson's existing jobs in Athlone, the 100 new software engineering jobs are high skilled positions that reflect the attractiveness of Ireland as a location in which to undertake research and development. The Government's commitment to continue providing attractive tax breaks for R&D expenditure is a primary driver for the increased investment by Ericsson," added Cllr Shaw. Sinn Féin's Cllr Paul Hogan also welcomed the jobs boost for the town. He said: "This is very positive news for Athlone as we currently have 3,998 people on the Live Register. We need a job creation strategy for Athlone to get more and more people back to work and to kickstart the economy again."