EY launches major Northern Ireland expansion

EY PLANS to expand its operations in Belfast, creating 486 jobs, with the help of Invest Northern Ireland.

With a current workforce of 1,450 in its five offices in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, 145 of which are located in it Belfast office, this expansion will see its workforce grow in this region by a third, and by 200% in Belfast specifically.

The expansion will be rolled out over the next four years, with the majority of the roles going toward providing assurance and advisory services to EY’s domestic and international client base, with a portion working in core business services such as hr and administration.

Invest NI offering EY £3.2m to support job creation in Belfast definitely sweetened the deal, according to Mike McKerr, managing partner, EY Ireland. “We have been working closely with Invest Northern Ireland for some time on this project and their support and advice has been instrumental in EYs decision to locate this project in Belfast,” said McKerr.

Employment and Learning Minister Dr Stephen Farry said the investment was “testament” to the emphasis that companies now place on locating in areas where they can access a highly skilled labour force to support their business needs.

McKerr added: “This support will help provide quality, world-class employment opportunities to school leavers, graduates and experiences hires. “We remain relentlessly focused on providing exceptional client service to all of our clients whether multinational, entrepreneurial or social enterprises up and down the country whose growth we support every day.”

EY are not the only ones to be wooed by the support of Invest Northern Ireland: Deloitte expanded its Belfast Technology Studio in May last year, creating 177 new jobs, with Invest Northern Ireland offering £1.2m of support towards the investment. This took its Belfast workforce from 24 to 201.