TWO US firms announced the creation of 390 jobs yesterday at separate projects in Cork and Carlow.
One of the world's largest hoteliers, Marriott International, announced it is to set up a second operation in Cork city which will create employment for 220 people.
In Carlow, Taoiseach Brian Cowen oversaw the start of a new €200 million medicines facility yesterday which will provide 170 full- time jobs when complete.
The new Cork centre, which is supported by IDA Ireland, will be responsible for handling reservation and customer inquiry calls for Marriott International's more than 3,100 hotels originating from Ireland, the UK and Continental Europe.
The new centre, which is located at North Valley Business Park on the Old Mallow Road near Blackpool on Cork's northside, already employs 160 people and the company expects to recruit the remaining 60 staff in the next two to three years.
It's the second Marriott investment in Cork as the group already employs some 160 people as part of its Marriott Vacation Club International subsidiary at the Cork Airport Business Park following an €8 million investment in 2002 with numbers there projected to rise to 250.
According to Marriott International's vice-president for global reservation sales, Renee Buonincontri, the new Cork centre is expected to handle about 1.5 million calls by the end of 2009.
"Cork offers great value, combined with a skilled and ready labour force," said Ms Buonincontri.
Mr Cowen said the investment by global pharmaceutical giant Merck Sharpe and Dohme in Carlow was an extremely welcome development in "these difficult times".
Merck Sharpe and Dohme currently employ more than 460 people at their two facilities at Clonmel, Co Tipperary and Leopardstown in Dublin.
More than 300 people will be employed in the construction phase of the Carlow facility over the next 18 months. The facility, when complete, will specialise in the formulation and filling of vaccines used to prevent and treat a variety of healthcare conditions.
"The vaccines and other products we will formulate in Carlow could ultimately be used by millions of people across the world which is a very exciting prospect," said Willie Deese, president of Merck's manufacturing division.
