More than 1,000 new jobs are expected in Kilkenny over the next two years after a number of banks and big businesses decided to base their expansion plans in the city.
The companies include Deutsche Bank, Bank of Ireland, Voluntary Health Insurance (VHI) and the German financial services company, InFoScore, and their plans enhance Kilkenny's growing stature as a centre for high-quality information technology jobs.
A number of the companies involved mentioned the availability of graduate labour, and access to the State's network of institutes of technology. High-speed broadband communications and the availability of an IDA business park were also mentioned.
Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the announcements, pointing out that house prices in the city are still affordable compared with Dublin, and the city is seen as a desirable place for families.
One of the first announcements was from InFoScore, a leading provider of financial services in Europe. It was followed by VHI which announced it was to locate a new software initiative, which it hopes will employ up to 400 people within two years, in the city. Deutsche Bank is already recruiting the 200 employees required to operate its multimillion-pound relocation of its global accounting centre to Kilkenny.
Earlier this month the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, announced that Bank of Ireland would be basing one of its two key Banking 365 customer support centres in the city.
The Bank of Ireland centre will have capacity for 500 employees, 250 of whom will be new recruits.