More than 350 new jobs were announced by two companies yesterday.

Telecom provider Imagine said it would create more than 300 new jobs at its contact centre in Armagh city, while Genzyme said it expected to create 50 jobs in Waterford city by the end of this year.

Imagine's unit would provide a sale, customer care and technical support service to customers of Imagine and Gaelic Telecom across Ireland. Imagine estimates the new jobs will bring an extra £4 million (€5.79 million) in annual earnings to the area.

The unit's jobs, supported by development agency Invest Northern Ireland, will be located in a business centre established as part of the Armagh Monaghan Digital Corridor, a European-funded cross-Border business corridor linking the two counties.

In a separate announcement, biotechnology company Genzyme said it expected to create 50 jobs in Waterford by the end of this year following the expansion of its Ireland operation.

Genzyme Ireland employs 300 people in the city, manufacturing products for the treatment of chronic kidney disease. The positions created will be in the engineering, maintenance, quality assurance, chemical and micro-biological areas.

The company's most recent expansion adds a 7,500sq m biological fill-and-finish centre.

Almost €250 million has to date been invested in Genzyme Ireland, in operation since 2001.