A financial sector company has announced plans to create more than 300 new jobs in Belfast.
The expansion by Capita's life and pensions division at its centre in the north of the city will create 336 posts over the next four years.
Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster welcomed the announcement, which follows an offer of more than £1 million support by Invest NI.
"These new jobs, which will be created over the next four years, are very welcome in the current economic climate and offer a wide variety of opportunities including management and supervisory positions," she said.
"The expansion will also open up new jobs to returners to work, people who are keen to develop valuable transferable skills and those who are seeking to get on the employment ladder for the first time. The salaries generated will eventually contribute over £5 million a year to the Northern Ireland economy."
The minister said the project is the first to be announced under Invest Northern Ireland's Short Term Employment Scheme, which was set up earlier this year to stimulate job creation in response to the challenges of the global economic downturn.
The scheme aims to create 4,000 jobs by 2014 and includes a range of temporary measures to support individuals to start a new business as well as employment support for established businesses.
"Invest NI has identified the business and financial services sectors as key drivers for growth in our economy and has worked hard to secure this project for Northern Ireland against competition from lower cost economies," Ms Foster added.
Capita has operated at Beacon House, Clarendon Dock, for almost five years, servicing global companies such as Prudential, MetLife and Aviva.
"We are forecasting significant sales growth for our Belfast operation over the next three years and in order to facilitate that growth, we will need to quadruple our employee numbers," said Anne Marie McGoldrick, operations director for life and pensions in Capita.
"Capita's very positive experience in Belfast to date, the competitive cost base of the Belfast operation together with Invest NI's support and the availability of suitable staff in the marketplace all combine to make upscaling our operations here a very attractive and viable strategy."
PA
