JOBS BONANZA FOR SLIGO AS US FIRM ANNOUNCES 150 NEW POSTS
THERE was more good news for Sligo and the North-West region last week, as it was announced that 150 jobs are to be created in Sligo thanks to US company, Phibro Animal Health Corporation (PAHC).
Since January, almost 700 jobs have been announced for Sligo.
John Nugent, Regional Business Development Manager for the region, said the arrival of these jobs is ‘recognition’ of Sligo’s track record in the ‘ life-sciences’ field.
“WE welcome jobs at anytime. What we have today is a direct recognition of the talent pool, the track record of Sligo in life sciences. This company have set up and will be recruiting 150 people over the next three to five years in producing a number of animal vaccines. It’s a beautiful thing for Sligo with the life sciences environment and the pharmaceutical environment and indeed the talent we are producing,” he told The Sligo Champion.
“You’d have everything from very senior regulatory bio-pharmaceutical people, virologists in terms of people who work in vaccines, right down to people who would be working in the manufacturing environment and supporting that environment. Lovely jobs right across the board.”
With a number of job announcements already this year, including 350 positions at Abtran, Mr Nugent says the region is starting to live up to its potential.
“It’s been a busy couple of years for us in the IDA. That speaks for the longevity and the cycle time for us to win investments, these investments don’t happen quickly. We’ve seen some positive news recently. The region, is starting to achieve its potential, we just need to keep the momentum going.”
Despite the fact that the region may lack certain infrastructure, it can still be an easy-sell for companies who wish to give their employees a good ‘work/life’ balance.
“We don’t have the infrastructure, there are some deficits but for sure, the work-life balance, the lifestyle and the cost of living here makes it a very strong proposition here for talent to live, work and play here. To live here in a cost-effective environment and also to have a lower commute and more family time, all round we think that’s a compelling proposition for the talent and the companies.
“If you take a 45 minute commute into Sligo we have a very strong population to pull on and we have great examples of life science manufacturing in Sligo, North Mayo, South Donegal, we have the talent coming out of the college. It’s starting to kick back in, we may have had a few lean years.”
The work, however, does not stop here for the IDA: “Nothing is done. Nothing is complete. What we have to do is see what we can build Sligo and the region out to. This place has a lot more capacity and a long way to go to finds its place in the national context for jobs and enterprise.”