Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
TECHXAS JOBS JOY
Tech giant will need 160 staff for Belfast HQ
A Texas-based tech firm is to create more than 160 jobs in Northern Ireland – with an avarage salary of more than £32,000. Bazaarvoice analyses online consumer opinions, posts and reviews and feeds the information back to retailers so they better understand shoppers’ habits. The firm, based in Austin, is making a multi-million pound investment in a new office in Belfast and will be recruiting staff over the next three years. Invest NI boss Alastair Hamilton said: “The new office will house 168 software engineering, sales and customer service staff to help service and grow the company’s UK and European business. “Once fully operational this will generate nearly £5.5million annually in salaries into the NI economy. The majority of the roles will be technical – software engineering, support and quality assurance, plus some sales roles. “As well as offering good salaries for experienced staff, the company is also setting up an assured skills training programme funded by the Department for the Economy that will help unemployed and under-employed non-it graduates enter the ICT workforce. “We fought off stiff competition to secure this project for Northern Ireland. “Not only is this great for our ICT sector but it will provide excellent employment opportunities for unemployed, graduates and experienced staff.” Mr Hamilton added the firm has been “offered £1.3million of government support towards the new jobs and skills development”. Gary Allison from Bazaarvoice said: “We might not be visible to the consumer but we are central to the retail experience, helping brands and retailers use consumer views to build engagement and trust. “Northern Ireland was able to offer high-quality technical staff with relevant industry skills, as well as a stable ICT sector, to support our growth plans. “We were also impressed by the low staff turnover rates here.” Invest NI said the average salary for the roles in Belfast will be £32,435.