Online marketplace Ebay is to create 450 jobs in Ireland, it announced today.
The jobs will be located at an operations centre in Dundalk, Co Louth. The total number currently employed by Ebay and its payments division Paypal in Ireland is 2,300. The latest jobs boost combined with a recent Paypal announcement will bring the total number employed by the group in Ireland to 3,550.
The expansion is being supported by IDA Ireland.
The new positions will support Ebay's growing European customer base for Ebay Marketplaces and PayPal.
The announcement was made this morning by Taoiseach Enda Kenny, who described it as "exceptional news" for the area.
"The fact that global technology leaders like eBay and PayPal are expanding their operations here shows that we have the local talent pool, infrastructure and business environment to attract high quality investments," he said.
"Last week's agreement on bank debt will lead to further investment as confidence in the Irish economy continues to grow which is good for jobs and recovery."
Mr Kenny said Ireland had worked hard to attract “high-calibre” companies like eBay to the country and the reaction since the promissory note deal was struck last week had been “quite extraordinary”.
The workers who will take up new positions for eBay will carry with them the responsibility of continuing to brand Ireland as an attractive location for investment, Mr Kenny added.
Speaking directly to eBay’s senior director of customer experience in Europe Gary Hagel, Mr Kenny said: “You’ve got an open door to Government.”
Mr Hagel described eBay as the world’s leading e-commerce company and said hiring would start immediately, with people taking up positions as early as May of this year.
He said the company remained committed to its current facility in Blanchardstown, Dublin, “and the people who work there who do an outstanding job”.
Asked why the company was investing in Ireland, Mr Hagel said eBay had had “10 fabulous years” here with “tremendous” support from the IDA. “Fundamentally it’s the people…they’re very talented, very skilled, very passionate.”
Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton said Ireland was making the transition towards a new economy based on new sectors that would “endure for 10, 15, 20 years ahead”.
Labour TD for Louth-East Meath Gerald Nash welcomed the announcement, which comes a year after Paypal said it would create 1,000 jobs in Dundalk.
"This is another major confidence boost for the county," he said, describing it as "a massive expression of confidence in the workforce and the area in terms of its business friendly and enterprising environment".
