Over two years since 800 jobs were promised in Fermanagh, the Council is now questioning whether or not these jobs will actually materialise.
In October 2015, it was announced that 800 new jobs would be created over the next three years by global customer service giant Teleperformance, generating an estimated £12 million in salaries for the local economy.
At the time it was hoped that these new jobs would provide work for young people and those who wish to return to the work force and that the employment opportunities would attract some of those who have moved away to find work back home to Fermanagh.
Two years on from the announcement, local councillor Brendan Gallagher has questioned where these jobs are when he brought the issue up at the recent Council meeting.
“It was in October 2015 when Invest NI announced that they were going to invest £2.5 million which would create 800 jobs, with salaries in the region of £12 million coming into the local economy. Unfortunately, this has never materialised. I just wanted the Council to follow up with Invest NI and get a status update to see where the jobs are and when can we expect to see them rolling out in the area. It was a big boost that we were promised to get these jobs, and now we want to see that coming into fruition and materialising.”
Invest NI offered £2.5 million towards the investment while the Department of Employment and Learning (DEL) offered a further £249,500 for pre-employment training of 100 people.
The council will now send a letter to Invest NI asking where the jobs are, and if any progress is being made with the investment.
A spokesman for Invest NI told the Herald, “Employment projects such as Teleperformance are often over 3 to 5 years. Due to the potential for commercial detriment we do not release progress against job creation while a project is still live. Teleperformance remains committed to Fermanagh and is pleased with the quality of the workforce in the area. We are working closely with the local management team and remain committed to helping the company deliver its expansion plans.”
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