Deloitte set for 1,000 Belfast employees by 2020
The Big Four firm has laid plans to increase its presence in Northern Ireland’s capital city
BIG FOUR firm Deloitte is ramping up its operations in Northern Ireland, committing to growing its workforce to 1,000 staff members in Belfast by 2020, part of a £30m investment package to increase its local workforce.
In 2014 the firm originally planned to create 338 jobs over the following five years as part of the second phase of its growth plans at its Belfast Delivery Centre, part of a £30m investment package that has also been backed by a financial package of £2.6m from Invest NI.
After claiming to be ahead of schedule on its recruitment commitments, Deloitte then committed itself to increasing its Belfast workforce to 700 by 2019, but after discussions between its UK chief executive David Sproul and Northern Ireland’s first minister Arlene Foster and deputy first minister Martin McGuinness, the target has been increased to 1,000 employees.
Between now and 2019 Deloitte anticipates that majority of the new roles will be established in its Technology Studio, with new workers focusing on data science and analytics, cyber security and digital engineering. Deloitte will also continue to grow its human capital, actuarial, tax and audit practices in the region.
Deloitte now has a total of 460 employees in Northern Ireland with another 43 young employees set to join the firm’s Belfast Belfast arm in September through its BrightStart Apprenticeship Scheme. In 2011, the Big Four firm announced plans to create 125 new jobs in the city between then and 2013, primarily through the establishment of a software-focused National Solution Centre.
Following the recruitment drive, Belfast will be Deloitte’s largest office outside of London.
Foster said: “Deloitte’s decision to increase its workforce to 1,000 by 2020 is a strong endorsement of Northern Ireland’s dynamic economy. Deloitte is making this commitment based on the talent and quality of staff in Belfast and it is a clear indicator of the confidence that the firm has in Northern Ireland as a business friendly economy that will continue to grow and attract investment.”
Last month the firm announced that it is to scale back its real estate business to avoid audit conflicts of interest.